No One Left Behind
by chuckchuckchuck
Summary: Kathryn Janeway is captured by a ruthless alien race.  Can her crew...and Chakotay save her in time?  J/C adventure fiction.  please Please read and review!  J/C story inside a larger story.  Im bad at summaries...but please R
1. Chapter 1

AN: I do no own Star Trek: Voyager or any of the characters. But I wish I did. I'd have a lot of fun with them. I had some great editing done for me by TheJesser. Thankyou!

Kathryn could feel the blade of the knife as it was slowly pushed deeper and deeper into her thigh. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the arms of the chair she had been tied to, and refused to scream out or beg for her life. As the cold metal blade made its way past the skin and into the underlying muscle, white hot searing pain rippled through her leg and into the rest of her body. She felt the knife as it traveled past sinew and reached her femur. Blood seeped from the gash and soon became a torrent, threatening to drain her entire body of its necessary properties. As her vision blurred, she felt her consciousness begin to fade away. She welcomed the blackness, but before it could engulf her, her captors removed the blade and used a glowing hot metal shaft to cauterize her wounds. Within seconds, the pain would begin all over again.

"You think you're unbreakable? You think we can't make you do exactly what we want you to do?" Her captor spat out the words in disgust.

"You have no idea what my crew is capable of doing. You will not survive this, I can promise you that." Kathryn growled, her jaw defiant, and her eyes burned holes through her tormentor.

"Pretty tough words for such a puny woman who's tied to a chair…bleeding and bruised." Her captor laughed. "You humans, have a strong will to live. I like that, in fact I respect that, but you have something I need. All you have to do is give IT to me. Then you and your crew will be free to leave."

"Ha! You expect me to believe anything you say? If you had my crew, you wouldn't be torturing me for their whereabouts. And as for what you want…you'll never get HER from me. She is safe with my crew, they'd never give her up to you...never." Kathryn again was defiant.

"You are a mindless female. How anyone thought it would be a good idea to make a female captain of anything is beyond my comprehension." the lead captor turned and gestured to the man standing behind him. "See what else you can get from her, then end it!"

Kathryn could do nothing but watch in horror as a new torturer stepped out from the shadows. He was draped in all black, which only added to his menacing appearance. He walked slowly, yet deliberately toward her and removed his hood, revealing the scarred face and soulless eyes of a madman. Kathryn closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. She knew she was about to feel pain like she had never experienced before, however she needed to stay strong for the good of her crew. She silently wished that they would just leave her here to die, rather then attempt a rescue. Their lives were worth more then her own.

A sad smile crossed Kathryn's face as she thought back to young Naomi Wildman. She had once told the little girl that there were three rules that Captain's lived by, keep her shirt tucked in, always go down with the ship, and never abandon a member of the crew. Ultimately, as the captain of Voyager, she was the reason the situation got out of control in the first place, and the thought of harm coming to her beloved crew was heartbreaking. However, deep down inside she knew they would never leave her behind. No one was ever left behind.

2 Days Earlier

"Captain, I'm detecting an encrypted message being sent over subspace." Harry informed Kathryn Janeway, who sat quietly reviewing maintenance logs.

"Are you able to decipher it, Mr. Kim?" Kathryn continued to skim through the information contained on the PADD.

"I'm almost done...just another second..." Harry trailed off as he continued to tap commands into the computer. "Decipher complete." His eyes widened as he read the results. "Captain...its a distress call."

Her head perked up at his words. "I thought we were in an uninhabited region of space? Tuvok, can you locate the origin of the message?"

"Indeed, Captain." He stated from behind Janeway. "This region of space was indeed declared uninhabited by Neelix. However, we did not have any verifiable information to confirm his statement."

"The message originates approximately 1.5 light years from our present location." Harry said.

"Harry, are you able to determine who sent it? And do you think its a recent message?" Janeway asked.

"Its impossible to tell at this time, Captain." Harry replied.

"Ok, then. Play the message, I want to hear it for myself before I make any decisions." Kathryn looked over to her left. Chakotay sat dutifully quiet, apparently in full agreement with how Kathryn was proceeding.

"This is my last attempt to procure assistance. I have no idea if anyone will receive this message, let alone in time to save me. My name is Chayan, and my ship has suffered extensive damage. Life support systems are failing and there's only a day's worth of breathable air remaining. If anyone can hear this message, please come and help. There is no one else."

"Was that the full message?" Captain Janeway asked.

"Yes, Captain. It's being replayed on a loop transmission. Do you want me to send a reply?" Harry asked.

"No. We have no way of knowing who sent it or why their ship was damaged. For all we know it could be a trap." Kathryn paused and rubbed her chin. "But we are members of Starfleet, and we have a code we live by. If someone needs our help, we will do what we can to offer assistance. Tom, set course at maximum warp to where the message originated. Tuvok, I want you to scan for potential threats. We don't know who we are dealing with, and I want to be ready for the worst."

"Yes, captain." Both, Tom and Tuvok said in unison.

"Chakotay, I'll be in my ready room. When we are within an hour of our destination, come and get me." Kathryn said.

"We're not going to get there until sometime tomorrow." Chakotay replied.

"I know. I have a lot of work to do and I don't know how long it will take. I may still be in my ready room when you start your shift tomorrow." Kathryn joked.

"Will do. In the mean time, try and get some rest. You've been working nonstop all day. I haven't seen you eat anything today that didn't resemble a cup of coffee." Chakotay leaned in conspiratorially and added, "How about you come to my quarters after our duty shift, and I'll make you something to eat."

Kathryn smiled and tilted her head to the side, "You always know exactly what I need, even before I do. I'll meet you there at 1800 hours." Kathryn got up from her command chair and went into her ready room. Just before she exited the bridge, however, she glanced over her shoulder to see if Chakotay was still watching her. He was, of course, and it brought a smile to her face.

Kathryn looked around her ready room. There were PADDs stacked 5 deep all over her desk. She'd been working for hours and it hadn't even made a dent. She sighed and put her head into her hands. Chakotay is right, she thought to herself. I do work too hard.

"Chakotay!" Kathryn exclaimed. Her head snapped up and she looked at her desk chronometer. It was 1750 hours. She only had ten minutes before she was supposed to be at his quarters.

She thought about all the reasons she could legitimately cancel dinner plans, but none of them seemed important enough...even to her. She knew she was going to have to hurry. Not wanting to show up at his door wearing her uniform, she decided to transport directly to her quarters to save time.

"Computer, perform a site to site transport of Captain Kathryn Janeway from the ready-room to the Captain's quarters."

"Acknowledged." The computer stated flatly, "Prepare for transport."

Within seconds the ready-room faded from view and Kathryn found herself in her quarters.

"Computer, full illumination." Kathryn rushed to her bedroom as the computer complied.

Out of breath and already two minutes late, Kathryn left her quarters wearing a simple blue dress. It wasn't anything special, but she knew Chakotay liked it, and that was good enough for her. She stood in front of the doors to his quarters, fixed her hair and made sure her dress was straight before pushing the door chime. Within a few seconds the doors swished open and Chakotay stood in the doorway welcoming her inside.

"Well, only three minutes late this time." Chakotay teased.

"Am I always late? I really did try, I swear. It's just that the turbo-lifts were full from the duty-shift change, we stopped at every..." Kathryn began rambling, her web of white lies grew with each breath.

"I'm only teasing. And I'm sure you took a site to site transport to your quarters." Again Chakotay smirked with pleasure at seeing Kathryn squirm for a change.

"You know me too well my friend. Too well indeed." Kathryn was glad she'd been found out. She never liked the idea of telling lies, even if they were little white ones.

"Are you ready to eat?" Chakotay motioned for her to follow him into the dining area. "I have everything ready, unless you want to start with something to drink. Wine? Coffee? Maybe some tea?"

"I think I'll have some wine. Red, if you have it." Kathryn sat at the dining room table as Chakotay replicated some red wine. He handed a glass to Kathryn and went to the other side of the table and sat down.

"Oh this is wonderful, Chakotay. Thank you." Kathryn smiled as she took a second and then a third sip of the wine.

"Rough day?" Chakotay asked.

"No rougher then the usual day aboard a ship lost far from home." She smiled, then continued. "I have so much 'busy-work'. What I wouldn't give for a good old fight with the Borg right now. I could use a break."

"Well I don't know about that, but if you need some help going through the maintenance PADDs, I have some extra time. Trust me, if I have any questions, I'll run them by you before signing off on any of them." Chakotay knew she would never ask for help, but she might take some if it was offered.

"You don't have to do that, really I'm fine."

"I know I don't have to...I want to." Chakotay reached across the table and placed his hand on hers.

The two friends looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, before Chakotay withdrew his hand.

Clearing his throat he said, "I think now would be a great time to start our dinner. I have a salad prepared for us, with blue cheese and croutons." Chakotay got up from the table and didn't wait for a reply.

They sat quietly and ate their salad. The tension in the room was palpable. Finally, Kathryn couldn't take the pressure any longer and broke the silence.

"Chakotay, I think we need to talk. I've been doing some thinking...about us." Kathryn looked down at her food while she waited for his reply.

"Us?" Chakotay replied simply.

"You know, us. Our relationship, or whatever you'd call it." Kathryn took another sip of wine, this time a much larger one.

"With all due respect, Captain. If you intend on refreshing my memory about 'boundaries' there is no need. I clearly remember that conversation. Every last word of it." Chakotay said with a bit more harshness then he had intended.

"No. I've been doing some thinking and I..." Kathryn started to explain when she was interrupted.

"Tuvok to Captain Janeway."

"Janeway here." Kathryn looked at Chakotay, apologizing with her facial expression, for the interruption.

"There has been a development I think you would like to be aware of, I suggest we gather all senior staff to the briefing room as soon as possible." Tuvok stated.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Kathryn stood up to leave. "Have everyone meet in the briefing room within fifteen minutes. I'll arrive early so you can get me up to speed."

"Understood, Captain." Tuvok then cut the transmission.

She turned back to Chakotay and said, "We'll finish this conversation later, ok?"

"Sure." Chakotay was already heading toward his bedroom to get ready for the meeting.

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	2. Chapter 2

AN: Again...I still don't own anything Star Trek. There will be a chapter here and there that won't be that exciting...but I hope you still like them.

Chakotay walked briskly through the halls of Voyager, on his way to the briefing room. When he arrived he realized he was the last one there. The senior staff, along with Seven and Neelix, were busy chatting amongst themselves around the table. The door swooshed closed behind him and he quickly sat in the chair furthest from where the Captain currently stood.

Janeway placed her hands on her hips and began to speak. "Now that everyone has arrived, let's get started. Tuvok as informed me of some interesting and potentially dangerous developments." Kathryn scanned the room as she spoke. "Tuvok, why don't you tell them the details, and then we can discuss our options." Kathryn turned to Tuvok and indicated it was time for him to speak.

Tuvok nodded. "We have recently entered a region of space that is filled with planetary debris. From the information gathered, I have determined that there was, at one time, five M-class planets in this area. However, for reasons unknown, all that remains are millions of asteroid sized pieces of planetary crust." Tuvok turned toward the computer monitor at the front of the room. He tapped commands into it and a computer generated image of what he just described appeared.

"So how does this warrant an 'all senior staff' meeting?" Tom quipped.

"If you would control yourself, Mr. Paris, I was just getting to that." Tuvok stated in his typical Vulcan 'enthusiasm'.

"This region of space has quite the reputation, Tom. It's nothing to joke about." Neelix said, wringing his hands together.

"Mr. Neelix came to me, earlier today and expressed his concern about this region of space." Tuvok tried to continue with his presentation.

"Actually, when I realized where we were, I ran straight to Tuvok to tell him we should leave here at once." Neelix nearly stood straight up at the briefing table. His hands were shaking and his breathing labored.

"Control yourself." Seven gave Neelix a sideways glance. Neelix then slowly lowered himself down in his seat, yet he remained perched on its edge, ready to escape.

"If everyone could please control themselves." Kathryn said as she looked directly at Neelix. "Tuvok, please continue."

"Thank you, Captain. As I was saying, Mr. Neelix informed me that this region of space was rumored to harbor a ruthless race of aliens. This information has not yet been proven completely accurate, however there are many references to this region of space from the surrounding planetary systems. There are as many similarities as there are differences between the accounts describing this alien race, but the one constant is that they are indeed ruthless and are driven by an all consuming need to conquer everyone and everything that stands in their way." Tuvok paused, waiting to see if anyone had questions.

"What exactly would be the problem? How would we be getting in their way?" B'Elanna asked.

"It is unclear at this time. Many of the stories indicate that this race of aliens seek out confrontation with surrounding civilizations, while others indicate they fight only when someone enters their space." Tuvok replied.

"I still don't see how..." B'Elanna started to argue.

"I have asked you all to come to this meeting because we are nearing this region of space. Seven, if you have any further information that was assimilated by the Borg, now would be the time to tell us." Janeway waited for Seven's response.

"Sorry, Captain. I don't recall any such species. Of course, the Borg do not concern themselves with alien folklore and rumors." Seven replied.

"It would be helpful if we knew the name of our potential enemy before we meet them. Neelix?" Janeway asked.

"Well, Captain...they have so many names. But I believe they call themselves Artorians." Neelix informed her.

"That is consistent with the information I was able to gather from the surrounding alien races. There are also warning beacons that have been laid out indicating the edge of Artorian space. I would conclude that we are indeed about to enter a hostile region of space. Captain, I recommend going to red alert as soon as we enter Artorian territory." Tuvok added.

"In a nutshell, we have an alien race who is reportedly hostile, and a distress call coming from inside their territory. I need your thoughts on the matter." Janeway found herself leaning with both hands on the table in front of her. She stared at her crew with a furrowed brow and an unblinking intensity she hadn't felt in quite some time. Something about this scenario made her feel like she was headed into battle. Kathryn wanted to make sure it wasn't her own boredom of the past few weeks that was pressing her into pursuing the distress call. She knew ultimately it was her decision alone. She normally ran Voyager like a benevolent dictatorship, but something about this mission pressed at her mind. She wanted to make the right decision and she needed some other points of view.

"Captain, we have no indication as to how old the distress call is, nor do we know if it is some kind of trap. I would be remiss if I didn't bring that to your attention. To take unneeded risks, when we do not have all the information we need is most illogical." Tuvok raised a single eyebrow.

Kathryn turned to the rest of her senior staff. "Does anyone else have an opinion?"

After nearly twenty minutes of lively discussion, that bordered on an argument, the room was split. Seven, Tuvok, and Neelix wanted to ignore the distress call and leave this region of space. They each had their own reasons for the decision, however it was all the same decision. Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry wanted to answer the distress call. They were not overly concerned about rumors and fabled bad aliens. That left Chakotay and herself to make the final decision.

"Ok, everyone. Quiet please. I need some time to think this through. It'll be best if, in the mean time, everyone went back to their stations or quarters. I'll let you know what I have decided." Kathryn turned around with her arms crossed and starred at the computer screen. As everyone in the room stood up and began filing out of the briefing room, she realized that Chakotay never said a word during the entire discussion. She turned just as he was about to leave the room.

"Chakotay." He stopped midway through the doorway. He slowly turned toward her, but didn't say anything. He stood silently, waiting for her to begin. "Will you stay with me while I make my decision?" Kathryn asked.

"Why?" He replied.

"Why? Because I value your input. Is something wrong? You didn't say a word during the meeting." Kathryn felt a pit forming in her stomach.

"You have made it abundantly clear, Captain. My opinion doesn't really matter. What I want doesn't really matter...not to you." Chakotay said.

"That's not true." Kathryn felt the pit growing with each passing comment from Chakotay.

"Isn't it?" He glared at Kathryn.

"Why do I have a feeling this has nothing to do with this mission." Kathryn took a step toward her friend, but stopped when she saw his anger turn to pain. His face softened, his shoulders drooped and he turned around and walked out of the briefing room. "Chakotay? Wait..."

Kathryn stood in silence as the door swished closed in her face and she found herself alone. When this mission was over, she said to herself, I'm going to tell him exactly how I feel. I just hope it isn't too late.

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	3. Chapter 3

AN: I still don't own Star Trek: Voyager or its characters. Thanks for all your reviews...please keep them coming.

Kathryn sat alone in her ready room. In one hand she held her favorite mug filled with coffee, in the other was her head, which felt heavy as she struggled to make a decision.

"It shouldn't be this hard," she said aloud to herself. "Something just doesn't feel right."

She took another tentative sip of her coffee, making a face when she realized it had already gone cold. She checked the time and was surprised to find that it had been over an hour since she began her deliberations, and she still needed to make a decision.

"This is ridiculous." Kathryn couldn't remember the last time she anguished over a decision. Mentally giving herself a smack to the back of her head, clarity once again came to her. She had made a decision.

"Janeway to Tuvok." Kathryn stated with all the authority of a Starfleet captain.

"Tuvok, here."

"I have made my decision. We're headed in. Gather the troops to the bridge and put us on yellow alert. I want to know everything that's going to happen, even before it does so." Kathryn commanded.

"Understood. Tuvok, out." Within seconds Voyager was placed on yellow alert, just as the Captain had ordered. Kathryn gave herself a couple of minutes to straighten her hair and uniform before walking out onto the bridge.

Stepping through the doors, she noticed her crew doing exactly what she had hoped. Everyone was at their given station hard at work. Kathryn eased herself into the captain's chair and felt its comfortable contours hug her form. It felt...right. Taking a quick glance over to her left, she noticed Chakotay was also hard at work. He was tapping commands into the console attached to his command chair, interpreting the data, and then inputting more commands.

Kathryn leaned closer to her friend and said, "Chakotay, when we find this...Chayan person, I would like you to accompany me to greet her."

"Absolutely, I wouldn't miss it." Chakotay glanced up at her barely making eye contact before resuming his work. He smiled at her, but she could tell something wasn't right between them...not yet.

Time passed as the Voyager crew made its way to the origination coordinates from the distress call. For the most part, there was very little chit chat among the crew. Everyone was intent upon making this a quick and successful mission. For this, Kathryn was thankful. She hadn't wanted to take risks, but she felt that as a Starfleet captain, she had a duty to uphold. Answering distress calls, was one such duty.

"Captain, we have found the...ship, where the distress call originated." Harry blurted out, eyes wide with excitement.

"Good work, Mr. Kim. Put it on the view screen, please." Kathryn said.

Once the image appeared, she realized why Harry had paused before saying 'ship'. The space-craft before them was approximately the size of an escape pod, barely large enough to hold two, maybe three people at best. Interestingly, it shimmered in and out of focus, almost like it had...

"Harry, is that ship in some sort of temporal flux?" Kathryn asked.

"No. It's actually attempting to cloak, only it's running out of power and unable to sustain its invisibility," Harry responded, fascination evident in his voice.

"That's unexpected." Kathryn said aloud, but to no one in particular.

"Indeed, Captain. It appears that the ship has a cloaking device. It would be logical to assume that its not the only ship in the area with cloaking capabilities." Tuvok warned.

"Captain, we could tractor beam the entire ship into our docking bay. It might be valuable to us later, B'Elanna could take a look at it." Chakotay said.

"Good idea. Tom, bring us close enough to use the tractor beam and get that ship aboard. I don't want to spend anymore time then I have to in Artorian space. Tuvok, you have the bridge, Commander Chakotay and I will welcome our guest." Kathryn and Chakotay stood and left the bridge via the turbolift.

Kathryn and Chakotay stood facing the small space craft in the docking bay. It was apparent that it had seen better days. There were multiple charred sections where external electrical components exploded. The outer full was pock marked from projectiles and burned from phaser fire. Taking into account the ship's size, its amazing it was even functioning at all.

"This ship is in terrible condition." Kathryn wasn't sure what else to say. The pile of junk that sat before her appeared to be on the verge of total collapse.

"It reminds me of my days in the Maquis." Chakotay replied. "There were days when we would set out on a recon mission in a shiny, newly restore vessel, only to return a leaky and broken down mess."

"This definitely qualifies as a broken down mess." Kathryn smiled at her friend.

A loud hissing sound emanated from the ship. Steam sprayed out from around the escape hatch on the side of the vessel as the door popped out and unceremoniously clattered to the floor.

"Please don't shoot." A tentative voice chirped from inside the vessel. A few seconds later, a small female form squeezed its way out the hatch and came to stand next to her ship. She was approximately the same height as Kathryn but even more petite. Her slender arms, legs, and torso bordered on unhealthy...by human standards. She was oddly beautiful, with bright blonde hair that came to rest near her shoulders. Her skin was a light green that added to her intensely blue eyes.

"Welcome. I'm, Kathryn Janeway. I am the captain of Voyager, and this is my first officer, Chakotay." Kathryn pointed to herself and then to, Chakotay. "We heard your distress call, and hoped that we would make it to you before you ran out of life support."

"Thank you, Captain Janeway. My name is Chayan. I am most appreciative of your assistance. I didn't think that anyone would answer the call." Chayan bowed low.

"Why would you think no one would come to your aid?" Chakotay asked.

"Because, we're in Artorian space. Non-Artorians would never come here." Chayan said as if it should have been obvious to everyone.

"I don't understand. Are you Artorian?" Kathryn asked.

"Of course. Oh, you have no idea what I'm talking about do you?" Chayan asked.

Both Kathryn and Chakotay looked at each other before returning their gaze back to Chayan.

"Oh we need to talk, and quickly. Do you have somewhere we can hold a meeting? This isn't good. Not good at all." Chayan began to fidget with her clothes, looking around the docking bay as if she needed to find a way to escape.

"Certainly. Chayan, if you wouldn't mind coming with us. I have a feeling we are going to be in for a long night." Kathryn motioned to Chayan and Chakotay to come with her. "Janeway to Tuvok."

"Tuvok, here."

"I need you to gather all senior staff to the briefing room. We have another...situation to discuss." Kathryn said

"Certainly, Captain." Tuvok said. He looked around the bridge where most of the senior staff stood staring at him.

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	4. Chapter 4

The briefing room was bustling with activity. Tuvok and Chakotay could be seen having a disagreement over information that was gathered on a data PADD, and Kathryn thought it was comical how Chakotay repeatedly tried to convince Tuvok his logic was flawed. She turned her head and saw B'Elanna roll her eyes at something Neelix was trying to explain to her, and Kathryn couldn't help but laugh inwardly as she imagined what he was saying. Seven of Nine simply sat alone at the end of the table, arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Kathryn was pleased to see at least one of her crew members was unaffected by the situation. The same couldn't be said for Harry. He sat staring straight forward, anxiety evident in the way he was tapping his foot and wiping sweat from his brow. Kathryn was about to walk over and offer some support when the doors swooshed open and Tom rushed in - late as usual.

"Sorry, Captain." Tom found the only available seat and sat down.

"Now that we're all here, we can get started." Kathryn gave Tom a quick glare. "I want you all to meet our guest, Chayan." She walked over to where Chayan sat and put her hand on the young girl's shoulder. "If you would please give us an idea of who you are and what we can do to help you." Kathryn then sat down and Chayan stood up and walked to the front of the room.

"I'm not entirely sure where to begin. Maybe if someone had questions we could start there." Chayan said as she looked from one crew member to the next.

"I believe our first priority is the safety of the ship." Tuvok asked, one eyebrow elevated, in classic Vulcan fashion. "Are we in danger, Ms Chayan?"

"Yes." Chayan immediately responded, looking down at the floor. Her tone and manner of speaking, expressed the guilt she must have been feeling. "I'm very sorry, I wish you had been aware of the situation before you decided to rescue me." She put both hands to her face and rubbed her eyes. Soon she began running her fingers through her hair, only to clench her fists around it, and pull at it painfully.

Kathryn decided it was time to help the girl out. "Chayan, it's all right. Even if we did know the situation we still would have helped you. But we still have no idea what that situation is exactly. Please, calm down and start telling us what we need to know to get all of us out of here safely." Kathryn said. She knew no one was going to benefit from Chayan having a nervous breakdown.

After a long pause, that was long enough to make everyone wonder if she was ever going to start talking again, Chayan decided she could continue with her story. "To put it simply, I'm what my people call 'The Special-One'. I don't look like the typical Artorian. My skin, hair, and eye color are of prophecy." Chayan explained.

"Prophecy? What the hell does that mean?" B'Elanna huffed.

"Basically, I was taken from my family when I was very young. I was raised by the High Order of Nah. The priestesses there prepared me for what would happen when I turned 17 cycles of age." Chayan momentarily stopped speaking, her eyes fill with tears. "They are going to sacrifice me."

"That's absurd," the Doctor declared. "What kind of people kill perfectly healthy individuals just because they look differently then they do?"

"It's not because I look different then my people. It's because I look exactly as the prophecy says 'The Special-One' looks. My hair and skin color are not typical of my species. My eyes are not the same shape and color as other Artorians. It's not so much the differences, but the similarities between me and the prophecy. Once every few thousands of cycles, there is a female who meets all the physical characteristics of the one prophesied. She is then raised by the High Order of Nah, where she is worshiped and trained in the way of Nah. Upon her 17th cycle, she is then sacrificed in the name of Nah. Her family is ultimately honored throughout eternity in the scrolls kept by the priestesses. It's supposed to be a great honor to The Special-One and her family." Chayan continued to explain. "But, once I found out that I would be sacrificed...my neck cut on the Altar of Life...I just couldn't go through with it. I was taken as an infant, I had no idea about prophesy or rituals such as these, until I turned 15 cycles of age. That's when I was given the scrolls to read - the scrolls that explain what happens to me."

"Did you tell them that you changed your mind? That you were not willing to give up your life...no matter how much honor it would bring to your family?" B'Elanna asked.

"I don't have a choice. It doesn't matter what I want. The Artorian royal guard will not rest until they have me back." Chayan shivered at the cold bloodedness of her pursuers. "I managed to escape by befriending one of the priestesses. For the past couple of cycles, I spent nearly all of my time with her. I cried and begged for her to save my life. A month ago, I finally convinced her to help me escape. She contacted an underground group who don't subscribe to the prophecies and beliefs that the royal order have dictated. I think - I know the one who helped me was killed for her disobedience." Again, Chayan gave into her emotions, silent sobs shook her shoulders.

Horrified by what he had just heard, and unsure if he could contain the rage building inside him, Chakotay stood up and declared, "Captain, we cant give her back to be murdered." Chakotay wasn't sure what sort of plan Kathryn was formulating at this moment, but he knew he wanted to fight for this poor girl. He wanted to protect her from her own people.

"You are absolutely right." Kathryn stood up, walked over to Chayan and placed an arm around her. "We will not give you back. You have my word." She then redirected her attention to her crew. "Ok, people. We need to be diligent. I want us out of Artorian space as soon as possible, but I want us to be on high alert. Any anomalous activity, anything at all out of the ordinary, I want it reported immediately. Understood?"

The group all offered their agreement and hurried out of the briefing room to get to work. The next few hours were going to be crucial. Kathryn's gut feelings told her this was not going to be easy, but she had faith in her crew and her ship. They were up to the challenge.

"Chakotay?" Kathryn reached out and grabbed her first officer's elbow as he passed by her on his way to the bridge.

"Yes, Captain?" Surprise crossed, Chakotay's face as he looked at his arm.

Kathryn quickly released him. "I would like you to show Chayan to her temporary quarters." She paused and looked away.

"Sure, Captain." Chakotay shrugged his shoulders. He wrinkled his brow and tilted his head slightly as he asked, "Are you alright, Kathryn?"

At the sound of her name, she took a step toward him. She wanted to wrap both her arms around him and never let go. "When you're done with that, can you...meet me in my ready room? Let's say 1800 hours?" Kathryn's voice quivered slightly and she hoped she was the only one who noticed. She knew by that time, Voyager would be nearly to the edge of Artorian space where personal matters could again take more of a priority, and it would give her the much needed time to prepare for what she was going to say to him. This might be her last chance, considering the dangerous situation they had found themselves in, and she desperately wanted it to go well.

"1800 hours it is." If, Chakotay suspected something, he didn't let on to that fact.

Bleep...Bleep

Kathryn nearly jumped from her seat. She had been so absorbed in her analysis of data from various anomalies she had completely lost track of time. She glanced at the chronometer on her desk. It read precisely 1800 hours. Chastising herself for not preparing anything she wanted to say to Chakotay ahead of time, she decided it would be best to wing it.

"Come." Kathryn said.

Chakotay entered her ready room with his hands clasped behind his back, and a devious smile spread across his face.

"What?" Kathryn asked.

"What do you mean, what?" Chakotay laughed.

"Why are you smiling? Did I miss something?" Kathryn asked, with a bit more annoyance than she actually felt. She never liked being the last to know something.

"Nothing. Its just that...well, you look like you have been hunched over a data PADD for the past two hours. Maybe you should stand up so you don't have to look up at me." Chakotay laughed. "Your neck looks like it could use massage." Again, he smiled. He knew she was powerless when it came to resisting one of his massages.

Kathryn decided Chakotay was right. She stood up and came around the side of her desk so she was standing directly in front of him. Kathryn was surprised at how her body reacted to their close proximity. Her heart began to race, and her breath became deep, which bordered on labored. She looked up directly into Chakotay's eyes and noticed he too, was breathing quickly, and when her hand reached for his, he flinched under her touch.

"I need to talk to you about something very important." Kathryn squared herself up directly in front of him. She then took his other hand in hers before she continued. "I need you to know exactly how I feel about - us." She felt Chakotay's hands stiffen. She decided to squeeze them tighter in response.

"Kathryn..." Chakotay whispered and slowly shook his head.

"No, please. Let me finish." Again, Kathryn pulled him closer to herself. "I want...need...you to know that I...love you." She had finally said it aloud to someone else other then herself. So many nights she lay in bed thinking about her best friend, her confidant. The one she loved. A huge weight had just been lifted off her shoulders, and she couldn't imagine why she hadn't said something before now. She would never again, lay awake at night, while her brain and heart fought each other about admitting to her true feelings.

Chakotay's expression changed before her eyes. His eyes widened momentarily before he looked away. He then took a step back from Kathryn as he let her hands drop to her sides. Shaking his head slightly, he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Chakotay? Talk to me. Tell me what..." Kathryn began to say when the ship lurched hard to starboard.

Both Chakotay and Kathryn found themselves crumpled on the floor; their bodies smashed together. It took a precious few extra moments to untangle their sprawled arms and legs, but once they reoriented themselves, they both headed to the door to the bridge to assess what just happened.

"Report!" Kathryn barked as she stumbled onto the bridge, her people were still picking themselves up off the floor.

"A ship decloaked a thousand meters off starboard, Captain and they immediately opened fire," Tuvok answered.

"Damage reports?" Kathryn asked.

"Decks sixteen through twenty have severe damage. Injuries have been reported ship wide, no casualties at this time." Tuvok reported.

"Captain, we are being hailed." Harry said as he wiped the blood dripping from the fresh gash on his forehead.

"On screen." Kathryn growled.

Immediately the view screen crackled to life, and the image of their attacker came into view. The man before them looked very much different then Chayan. There was definitely a species resemblance, but his hair was pitch black, along with his eyes. His skin was a sickly grey color with blue-grey veins that mapped across this face and neck. The eyes were what disturbed Kathryn the most. They looked through her as if they were cutting straight through to her soul, attempting to capture it for themselves. An involuntary shuddered escaped from Kathryn's body.

"My name is Kathryn Janeway, captain of the Starship Voyager. I demand to know why you have attacked my ship! We have done nothing to provoke you." Kathryn demanded.

"You have something that belongs to me. Return it to me and you will be unharmed." The man hissed through blackish teeth.

"Who are you?" Kathryn wanted to know exactly who she was dealing with before she discussed any other demands.

"My name is Korath, of the Royal Order of Nah. Now, give me what it is I seek!" Korath spat the words in disgust.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Korath. Now if you don't mind, my crew and I have a long journey home and we'd like to be on our way." Kathryn was not going to give anything away to this monster.

"We have been tracking you since you entered our space, Captain Janeway. I know you have IT! The Special-One is ours! We demand in the name of Nah that you release it to me immediately, or you will be destroyed!" Korath slammed his fist onto the console before him.

"I will not release anyone to you. You plan on murdering her, and I simply cannot comply with that request. Now, unless you are prepared to fight, I suggest you cease and desist." Kathryn glared at her new enemy.

"Unacceptable! Prepare to be boarded. You will not survive this-" Korath cut transmission.

"Red alert!" Kathryn commanded. "Janeway to the Doctor."

"Yes, Captain?" The doctor responded almost immediately.

"Go to Chayan's temporary quarters and take her to sickbay. I want you to keep her safe. Figure out a way to mask her biosignature. We don't know what the Artorian capabilities are, and we need to hide her." Kathryn gave her instructions quickly before she cut transmission, not waiting for a response. "Battle stations everyone! This is going to get ugly."

As the last word left Kathryn's mouth, Voyager was again rocked with heavy phasor fire from the Artorian ship.

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	5. Chapter 5

Kathryn tasted blood, but couldn't figure out why. She couldn't see. She couldn't feel. Her world was black, confusing and this filled her with fear. Eventually, her head began to buzz, and she slowly started to regain her senses. Rough carpet pressed against her cheek and hands, aggravating her already aching body. Gradually, she realized she was laying on the floor of the bridge, but she couldn't remember why. That's when it hit her, they had been attacked. Her eyes snapped open and revealed the bridge of her beloved ship, darkened with smoke. Conduits hung from the ceiling as sparks flew from exploding consoles. The smell of burning wires was present, but the stench of burning flesh was overwhelming.

Kathryn, tentatively at first, pushed her body upward away from the floor in an attempt to stand. She struggled with her non-responsive body, urging her legs to bend and managed to sit back on her haunches. The chaos that was going on around her, spurred her onward and upward, as she grabbed the command seat before her, and came to stand.

"Report!"

For a moment, she wasn't sure she was going to receive an answer, but from behind her Tuvok made his report.

"There has been catastrophic damage to the bridge and the surrounding areas of the ship. Life support systems are damaged, but holding. Engines are undamaged, but shields and weapons are currently down."

"Janeway to B'Elanna." Kathryn hoped her Chief engineer was unharmed and in the process of making the ship right again.

"B'Elanna here, Captain." B'Elanna's voice was strained.

"Shields and weapons are down. How long before you get them back online?" Kathryn asked, wishing for some good news.

"Sorry, Captain. I need time. Those systems have been nearly destroyed." B'Elanna responded.

"Make them your priority. We don't have a lot of options left." Kathryn cut transmission.

She looked around the bridge, inspecting her crew. They were frantically working at their stations, attempting to perform miracles. Harry was hunched over his console desperately typing in commands, using only his right arm; his left hung at his side, the uniform torn and bloody.

To her right she saw Tuvok quickly gathering a security team and giving orders to the security personnel. Kathryn assumed he was preparing for an invasion. It would be the next logical step for the Artorians, considering the Voyager shields were damaged. She turned around to look behind her, and saw Seven of Nine laying on her side unconscious.

Kathryn quickly made her way past other crew members and debris on her way to Seven's limp form. Kathryn kneeled next to her and felt for a pulse. It was there, strong and steady. No doubt, Seven's nanoprobes were fast at work healing her injuries. Kathryn brushed the hair away from Seven's face and was pleased to see her eyes flicker open.

"Captain, are you damaged?" Seven's voice was a mere whisper.

"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about." Kathryn put her hand on her younger friend's shoulder.

"I have been injured. I have internal bleeding as well as two broken ribs." Seven reached up placed the heel of her hand to her forehead. "My nanoprobes should have all repairs complete in three minutes." Again, Seven put her hand to her head and winced from the pain. "I need to finish my calculations, the Artorian ship has a structural integrity field generator that can be..." Seven strained to sit up, before collapsing back onto her side.

"You need medical attention." Kathryn turned and saw Ensign Reynolds struggling to fix his burned-out console and signaled for him to assist her. "Mr. Reynolds, I need you to help Seven get to sick-bay. Once you get her there, come straight back to the bridge, understood?"

"Yes, Captain." Reynolds helped Seven into a standing position. He wrapped her right arm over his shoulders and they limped toward the turbo-lift.

"Kathryn, are you alright?" Chakotay asked as he walked up from behind her.

Kathryn turned and saw that her friend had also been injured in the blast. His uniform had been burned and torn; the left sleeve was soaked with blood. His face was covered in soot, and his left ear had been singed. He wasn't in immediate danger, yet it still made ache inside to see him hurt.

"I'm fine. You've seen better days though." She tried to smile.

"We need to secure the ship or get out of here at maximum warp. The engines are undamaged, but we don't know what their next move will be." Chakotay was visibly shaking as he strained to say the words. He tried to take a deep breath wanting to continue speaking, only to start coughing; bits of blood from burned lung tissue coated the hand he used to cover his mouth.

"We need to get you to sick-bay immediately." Kathryn reached for her friend's arm to lead him to the turbo-lift.

Chakotay pulled away. "I'll be fine. We have to get out of here - now."

"They're going to try and take the ship. They don't want to destroy it until they have Chayan. We need to get everyone ready for hand-to-hand combat. We don't have much time." She turned to Tuvok. "Can you arrange for ship-wide security teams? The rest of us will stay on the bridge and protect the command center." Kathryn was quickly formulating a plan as she went.

"We don't have enough security personnel to cover the entire ship. We could be over-ran in a matter of minutes." Chakotay argued.

"We are going to use every last person on this ship to defend ourselves. I don't give a damn if we fight with pots and pans. We will not let them take Chayan and we will defend this ship until the end." Kathryn's eyes narrowed and her voice was deep and menacing.

Chakotay had never before seen Kathryn this determined. She was willing to do whatever it took to save her ship - her family. "We'll get through this, Kathryn." Chakotay put a hand on each of her shoulders. He looked straight into her eyes and saw something unexpected. Fear.

The doors to the bridge swooshed open and Seven defiantly stepped onto the bridge followed closely by Ensign Reynolds.

"Seven, I told you. You have to report to sick-bay." Reynolds pleaded.

"That won't be necessary. My nanoprobes have fixed all life-threatening injuries. I am needed here." Seven stated, in her commonly used tone of irritation. "Captain, I am reporting for duty. My life threatening injuries have -"

"I heard what you said. I want you to report to sick-bay immediately, that's an order." Kathryn didn't have time for insubordination, no matter how well intentioned.

Kathryn heard an all too familiar sound directly behind her. The whining sound of a transporter. She turned just in time to see six armed intruders materialize between her and the view-screen at the front of the bridge. The six intruders were dressed in thick black combat attire. They had long blades slung over their backs and they each carried a metallic club with barbed tips. Kathryn recognized the one closest to her as the leader, Korath. He turned in her direction and flashed a black and sinister smile.

"Attack pattern Gamma-Six-alpha!" Kathryn shouted. Her academy training took over as she turned toward Tuvok in search of a weapon. To her relief, he tossed her a phasor. She immediately set the weapon to its kill setting and began to fire.

Kathryn's crew followed her lead. Everyone with a weapon began to fire upon their intruders. As the phasor beams made contact with the enemy, bright blue electric shields crackled to life around the six intruders. Kathryn's heart sank as she realized the phasors had nearly no affect upon their enemies.

Korath motioned to his companions to spread out and they immediately moved toward the closest crew member and began to engage in hand-to-hand combat. The bridge crew had been momentarily caught off guard and suffered some immediate casualties. Ensign Connors and Ensign Jenkins were clubbed in the head, immediately falling to the floor in fast forming pools of blood. Their skulls had been shattered and no longer held their form.

The remaining crew retreated to the back of the bridge to regroup and plan their next move. Tuvok, had already unlatched the lower compartments behind the security console which held non-electronic weapons. He quickly handed them out until everyone on the bridge had a weapon, no matter how big or small.

"Captain, I advise you to leave the bridge. Go to sick-bay, have the Doctor mask your biosignature." Tuvok said.

"You're advice is noted, but I'm needed here." Kathryn pushed past Tuvok, heading straight for the closest alien attacking her crew members. She felt herself being pulled to the side by her right arm. Twirling around ready to slam her metallic bat into her enemy, she stopped just in time to realize it was Chakotay.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn. You are going to sick-bay." Chakotay spat out his command, his breathing was heavy and labored.

"Let go of me. This is still my ship, and I intend to fight." Kathryn pulled her arm loose. "If you're scared you can go to sick-bay." She charged forward with her weapon held high.

All fear for his own safety, drained from Chakotay's body. He had only fear for his captain, his best friend, and love of his life. He tightened his grip on his own weapon and charged forward, just behind his leader, into the closest battle.

The Artorian intruders were incredibly strong, and well trained in hand-to-hand combat. They easily out maneuvered many of the untrained, non-security personnel they encountered. Only Tuvok, Seven, Chakotay and Kathryn were having success in their counter attacks.

Behind the OPS console, Harry was struggling to survive a brutal attack, when Seven came to his aid. She quickly maneuvered her way between Harry and the Artorian to give her young friend an opportunity to peal himself up off the floor.

She raised her club high in the air, her enemy followed her movement and looked upward as Seven kicked him square in the chest. Her enemy fell backward, sprawled out on the floor. She quickly ran over to stand above him, prepared to land her final blow, only to be knocked onto her back with a well placed kick of his own.

Seven was the first one to stand. She brought the heel of her boot to the fallen Artorian's face, crushing his jaw. The alien's scream was stopped short when Seven finished him with a devastating blow to his trachea. He reached with both hands to his throat in a desperate attempt to reopen his airway. His efforts were in vain.

"Resistance is futile." Seven growled unconsciously. She quickly oriented herself and headed back into battle.

Kathryn and Chakotay found Tom Paris fending off the Artorian leader, Korath. Starfleet had trained him well and he was impressive with his defensive maneuvers, but was quickly losing the battle. Korath was much stronger then Tom. He quickly landed a blow to Tom's left leg. The pilot crumpled to the floor. Kathryn made it to his side first. She raised her weighted hand-weapon and plunged it straight down between the Artorian's shoulders.

She hoped she'd feel his spinal column collapse under the force, but to her disappointment the intruder turned toward her and punched her square in the face. Kathryn flew backwards, her feet left the floor as she fell head first into the pilot's chair. Her vision threatened to fade as darkness began closing in on her. She tried desperately to focus her eyes on the scene playing out before her. She saw Chakotay throw himself at Korath, fighting frantically to hurt the large alien. He used his body and all available objects within reach to fight the monster. Kathryn's hopes turned to anguish as she saw Korath lift Chakotay high into the air and slam him head first into the view screen.

Sparks and smoke billowed out of the hole that now consumed Chakotay's body. She struggled desperately to stand, but was unable to move. Korath briskly walked up to her supine form, squatted in front of her and attached an electrical device to her torn and bloody uniform. He began tapping commands into the device, and within a few seconds the familiar whine and momentary disorientation of transport, took over her body; the ravaged Voyager's bridge disappeared.

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	6. Chapter 6

AN: thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed so far. I really appreciate the feed back. As always: I don't own anything star trek but this story was my idea.

Chakotay woke up as his head hit the floor of the bridge. Tom had just unceremoniously dragged him from the hole his body made in the view screen at the front of the room.

"Chakotay? Can you hear me?" Tom asked as he patted the Commander roughly on the face.

"...captain?" Chakotay's voice was barely audible, even to himself. "Is she...where...?" Again his voice trailed off as his eyes rolled back into his head and his eyes flickered closed - blackness once again consuming his vision.

"There's no time for this." Tom shook Chakotay's shoulders. "We don't have much time."

Chakotay forced himself back from a much more peaceful place; a place that only exited in his own mind. His eyes slowly opened, at first he looked in Tom's general direction, but there was no recognition - no focus. Tom made a fist and ground the knuckles of his hand into Chakotay's sternum. He pushed hard, attempting to bring the Commander back around to consciousness. Chakotay responded, his eyes opened wide and this time they were focused with great intensity.

"Stop it!" Chakotay sat straight up and pushed Tom's hand away from his now throbbing chest. He quickly regained his focus and the control over his mind and body. He began to scan the bridge. It looked much like it had a few moments ago, with one glaring exception. Kathryn was no where to be seen. "Where is she? Where's the Captain?" His breathing instantly increased in rate and intensity. He could now feel his head pounding as the blood coursed through its vessels with increased speed and pressure.

"She's gone." Tom looked away.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Chakotay's tone was ferocious, much more befitting for his spirit guide, the wolf. Chakotay reached for Tom's arm and squeezed it with a strength he didn't know he possessed.

Tom winced under the pressure of the Commander's grip. "Just after Korath threw you into the view screen, he attached a transport beacon to the Captain - and took her." Tom wanted to push Chakotay's hand away, the pain was intensifying with each passing second, but he was afraid to move. He had never seen this particular look on Chakotay's face, and it scared him.

Chakotay struggled to stand. He used Tom's shoulder as support, and pushed himself up into a standing position. He swayed a couple times back and forth as he regained his balance. Once his vision stopped swimming and he was again able to open his eyes without losing his equilibrium, he addressed Tuvok.

"Report!"

"We have suffered extensive damage to decks ten through twenty. Life support is functioning at fifty percent. Shield and weapons systems have been completely eliminated. Propulsion is still functioning. I suggest we retreat to a safe location and begin repairs." Tuvok stood erect, facing forward - gaze toward the far wall just to the left of Chakotay.

"Retreat? No. We need to follow them. They have the Captain." Chakotay shook his head, he couldn't understand the logic behind Tuvok's words.

"Chakotay's right. We can't just leave and let them have the Captain." Tom agreed with the Commander.

"We have no weapons, no shields. There would be nothing we could do to save the Captain." Tuvok knew his logic was sound.

"The Artorian ship has turned and is now moving away from our location. Should we follow?" Harry's face was tense, his eyes wide with fear.

"I have managed to decode the Artorian ship's deflector frequency. It's on a two-gamma-four variable cycle. If we hit them just over the port thrusters we can destroy their vessel in one shot." Seven's voice was menacing.

"We can't destroy their ship, the Captain is on it." Chakotay needed options - options that wouldn't cause the Captain further harm. "Harry, can we track the ship over long ranges even with their cloaking capabilities?"

"I believe we can. Their ship emits blend of tetrazine gas and tachyon particles which should be easy to follow even when their cloaked." Harry began tapping commands into the console in front of him. "I have the computer tracking them and recording their trail so we can follow them from a greater distance."

"Good work." Chakotay began to formulate a plan of attack. "Tuvok, where do you recommend we 'hide-out' to make ship repairs?"

"There is a large piece of planetary crust that would keep us hidden long enough to make weapons and shield repairs. We would also be able to continue to track the Artorian ship from that location."

"Tom, take us behind the debris field. We need to make repairs quickly." Chakotay tapped his comm badge. "Chakotay to B'Elanna."

"B'Elanna here, sir. We have a lot of work down here." B'Elanna warned.

"I need you and your team to focus on weapons and shields. Everything else can wait. They have the, Captain. Understood?" Chakotay's mind was working overtime. In his heart, he knew he had precious little time remaining, if he was going to recover the Captain alive.

There was a few seconds of dead air before B'Elanna responded. "Understood. I need two hours, and if you could send Seven down here to help out, we could use the extra set of hands."

"You have one hour." Chakotay motioned to Seven to head down to engineering and said, "Seven's on her way." Chakotay then turned toward Tom and said, "We need to get the captain back. I don't care how it's done."

"What do you have in mind?" Tom asked.

Chakotay's eyes narrowed, and darkened as an idea formulated in his mind. "Tom, Tuvok. In the Captain's ready room. Now." He turned, not waiting for a response, and headed for the door. "Harry, you have the bridge. Keep tracking that ship. We will be underway in an hour."

Tuvok entered the ready room. Chakotay and Tom had already been inside for a couple of minutes. It was obvious by the silence and tension in the air, that neither of them had been speaking. Tom sat on the couch staring at Chakotay's back. The Commander stood facing the wall, deep in thought his head was bent forward slightly and his hands were on his hips. As soon as the doors swooshed closed behind Tuvok, Chakotay turned around and immediately began to speak.

"We are going to get the Captain back. That is not in question. What we need to do is figure out how we are going to do it without getting her killed." Chakotay didn't care what happened to himself, he simply wanted Kathryn to be safe and back where she belonged - aboard Voyager.

"Once ship repairs are complete, we will follow the trail of tetrazine gas and tachyon particles to the ship's location and use Seven's calculations to subdue the ship and it's shields." Tuvok suggested.

"We need to be prepared for combat this time." Tom added to the conversation. "Those Artorians are a big and strong bunch of thugs. They will outnumber and out muscle us."

Tuvok agreed with Tom and made another suggestion. "I have been developing an under-armor fabric that can protect its wearer during hand to hand combat. Forces are dissipated over its entire length and lessens the severity of each landed blow. Judging by the forces exhibited by our enemies, it would help us to equal the playing field."

"We can get hit and not feel it? That sounds like a great idea to me." Tom quipped.

"Not exactly, Mr. Paris. It will simply allow us to equalize our strengths and weaknesses to match our enemy. If they land a blow, you will feel it." Tuvok corrected him.

"I suggest you replicate three full suits. We will put it under our battle gear. I want us to each have a full complement of phase rifles and a phase pistol. The phasors all need to be set to fluctuate on the two-gamma-four cycle. It might help us to over come their personal shielding." Chakotay said. He looked out the window in the Captain's ready room. He watched the huge chunk of planetary crust float past. "The three of us are the best hope the Captain has. We have no idea what they...may have done to her." Chakotay slapped his hand on the table. "Go and prepare yourselves. Meet me in the transporter room in thirty minutes."

Tom and Tuvok agreed to the plans and got up and left the room. Chakotay found himself alone with his thoughts. He couldn't help but think about all the possibilities. Was the Captain alive? Have they hurt her? With each passing moment, his mood grew darker and he found himself welcoming the fight that was inevitable. He wasn't sure how much time passed, as he paced back and forth between the window and the desk, but he felt that the time for action was quickly approaching.

"B'Elanna to Commander Chakotay."

"Chakotay here, go ahead B'Elanna."

"All basic repairs to shields and weapons have been completed. We are no where near one hundred percent, but I think that with Seven's calculations regarding the Artorian shields, we have a fighting chance should we need them." B'Elanna said.

"Good work. Keep working on further repairs while we prepare to intercept the ship." Chakotay ordered.

"Understood." B'Elanna said just before Chakotay cut transmission.

Chakotay walked out of the ready-room and onto the bridge. "Harry? Have you determined the present location of the Artorian ship?"

"Yes sir. The ship is presently in orbit around a small planetary body just on the other side of the debris field. It's currently cloaked."

"Ok. They probably don't know we can track them while they are cloaked. Harry, you have the bridge. Tom, Tuvok and I are going to retrieve the Captain. Get us within transporter range of the planet. Once you have located the Captain, relay the coordinates to Lt. Carey so he can beam us down." Chakotay patted Harry on the shoulder and headed to the turbo-lift. He could tell Harry was unnerved by the current situation, but Chakotay had full faith in each member of his crew. They would succeed.

"Commander. I am not reading any human biosignatures aboard the Artorian ship. There is a vague reading planet-side but its faint. She may be in an underground holding cell of some kind." Harry nervously tapped commands into his console, not meeting Chakotay's gaze.

"Find the Captain, Harry. And as soon as you do, relay those coordinates." Chakotay said.

"Chakotay to Tom Paris and Tuvok." Chakotay stepped into the turbo-lift. Both men answered the call immediately. Chakotay watched the doors swoosh closed in front of him. He knew this may be the last time he'd see the bridge, but that didn't matter. What mattered was Kathryn. "It's time." Chakotay stated simply.

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	7. Chapter 7

AN: Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it. I hope you like this chapter. Again, I don't own anything Star Trek.

"We are not going to leave her behind!" Chakotay growled. "We don't leave anyone behind." _Especially her_, he added silently to himself.

Chakotay was dressed in battle gear. On each hip he carried a phase-pistol and he carried a phase-rifle in his hands. Next to him on the transporter pad stood Tuvok and Tom Paris. The three of them were dressed to kill, with dark battle fatigues and under-armor they were prepared for battle; ready to complete the rescue of their beloved captain and friend.

"Commander, the likelihood that the three of us will survive this mission is minimal. You need to be prepared for casualties." Tuvok informed him.

Chakotay nodded, not really listening, all he cared about was getting Kathryn back to the ship, safe, where she belonged. "Now, remember, we are going to be beaming directly into the underground chamber where the captain is being held, it's an old abandoned mine as far as we can tell so there may be areas to duck for cover. We don't know who or what will be waiting for us. Be prepared to fight immediately upon materializing, and be prepared to win, at all costs. Understood?" Chakotay turned to, Tom and Tuvok, to get a verbalization of their total agreement; their total commitment.

"Aye, sir!" They both said in unison.

"Lt. Carey, beam us directly into the chamber. We will not be returning without the captain." Chakotay's voice was filled with determination. "On my count..."

"Commander...there appears to be a jamming signal within the chamber. I can get you down there, but wont be able to lock onto your coordinates to get you back." Carey's face went pale, his eyes wide.

"We wont need to be beamed back from the chamber. If we cant make our way to the surface, we wont need to be rescued." Chakotay stared at the transporter operator, who looked away and waited for Chakotay's orders. "On my count, one...two...three."

The transporter room faded from view as the three of them were transported below the surface of the planet. Seconds later, Chakotay found himself in a dark room that smelled of blood, sweat and decay. He clenched his teeth. The idea of Kathryn being held and tortured in this place, made his pulse race and allowed all his suppressed rage to bubble up to the surface. Not waiting to see where the other two had materialized, Chakotay took a step forward. It was his duty to save the person he loved, if he had to kill to succeed...so be it.

Chakotay heard footsteps approaching quickly from behind. He turned and aimed his phase rifle in the direction of the sound. He fired. Nothing happened. As he grabbed for his phase pistol he was thrown to the ground, hard. He felt his head snap back, making contact with the stone floor, followed by a crunch as his skull cracked, blood seeped from the wound as he struggled to stand. His vision dimmed momentarily, then spots formed before his very eyes. He blinked rapidly, in an attempt to clear his vision, when he heard the sinister voice of the one who kidnapped, Kathryn.

"Your phasers will have no affect down here, we have blocked the use of all electronic devices." The large alien laughed. Korath was enjoying the upper hand.

"We'll do this your way." Chakotay spat blood from his mouth. He didn't need a phasor to kill this monster. He took a step forward toward his enemy, his fists were clenched at his sides, ready to strike.

"Commander!" Chakotay heard Tuvok yell from behind him. He turned as Voyager's chief of security tossed him a shovel. Both Tom and Tuvok had similar make-shift weapons in their hands, and were preparing to use them on the enemies that stood before them. Fortunately, the rescue team was only outnumbered by two aliens at most. Chakotay found himself thankful for the little things.

Chakotay saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye. He spun around. A man in black rushed at him with a large metal pipe in his hands. Bringing the shovel up he successfully blocked the first swing. Chakotay then ducked in time to dodge the second attack. He twisted around kicking his leg into the man's face. He could feel bones crunch under the weight of his boot and his enemy hit the floor with a satisfying thump. Not wanting to release his advantage, he rushed over and stood atop the man. Chakotay raised the shovel over his head, prepared to finish what he came here to do, to give the ugly man what he deserved for taking Kathryn from him. Before he was able to deal the final blow, his legs were swept out from under him. He landed hard, his already aching head began to throb even harder. Disoriented, Chakotay couldn't see what was happening, but he could hear the skirmish going on around him.

"Commander, behind you!" Tom yelled.

Chakotay's vision cleared as the buzzing in his head subsided. He managed to stand, before turning to his left just as his attacker landed a devastating blow to his left arm. Chakotay heard and felt the bones snap. At first his body began to go into shock, he felt a chill forming as he became light-headed - his body was betraying him. He then thought of Kathryn, how her eyes were so blue he could get lost in them, of how those eyes looked at him in love, when she had finally acknowledged her feelings for him, and yet he had been so confused and unsure of what to say, said nothing in return. He had to correct that error. That was all he needed to keep fighting. Praying to the Spirits for strength, he rushed toward his enemy. Slamming his right shoulder into the other man's chest, he knocked him on his back. Raising the shovel to the man's neck, Chakotay growled, "Where is she?"

"You're too late to save her. You can't bring back the dead!" With a crazed yell, Chakotay drove the sharpened end of the shovel into the man's neck, severing every vital blood vessel as he used his body weight to push it farther until he reached bone. His enemy gurgled and shook, but didn't say another word.

"Commander" Chakotay heard Tuvok's voice behind him. He realized he was still pushing the shovel, into the long dead alien, he released his grip on the weapon and let it fall the stone floor. The clatter it made was nearly deafening in the eerily silent chamber.

"Are…are you both alright?" Chakotay gasped for breath and tried to stay conscious while fighting back the pain, both physical and emotional.

"We're doing better then these guys." Tom said, before looking away from Chakotay.

"What we did had to be done." Chakotay stated, "We need to find the Captain. She should be around here somewhere."

The three crewmates fanned out in search of Captain Janeway.

"Chakotay, over here. I found her!" Tom yelled from the far side of the torture chamber.

Chakotay ran toward Tom. Kathryn was slumped in an abnormal position in the wooden chair. Her arms and legs were tied down and her uniform was torn and soaked in blood. Her hair, usually immaculate and clean, had fallen in front of her face, tangled and dyed red with blood. She looked like she had been horribly tortured-tortured to death. Chakotay slowly inched his way forward, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't help the tears that welled up in his eyes. He reached out to her, tentatively using his right arm to lift her lifeless head. Her eyes were closed, her face was swollen, bruised and bloody. The skin of her face was hidden from view by soot and blood, except where her tears left trails down her cheeks. A wave of emotion washed over, Chakotay. He dropped to his knees and sobbed bitterly. He nuzzled his face into the nape of Kathryn's neck, kissing her tenderly before slowly releasing her broken and damaged body. He didn't want to let her go. He couldn't, she was his peace. He couldn't leave her. He opened his eyes and realized he was still kneeling before her with her hand in his. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her once again and managed to choke, "You can't leave me."

"Tom, I don't feel a pulse." Chakotay whispered.

Tom came up along side his friend and gently checked her for a pulse. Tom could feel nothing. "I don't feel one either. I'm sorry." Tom stood up, took a step back and looked away, afraid his emotions would overtake him.

"Commander, we must go. We have to get back to the ship, they may have signaled for reinforcements." Tuvok stated flatly, although Chakotay could tell his friend was battling his own emotions, in his own Vulcan way.

The three crewmates prepared to leave, they knew they couldn't signal for a transport, and would have to find a way out of this chamber on their own. Once planet-side, they would be able to beam back aboard Voyager and leave this awful planet behind, forever.

"Tuvok, we need to get out of here, but I can't leave the Captain." Chakotay fought the bile rising in his throat. "Even if she is...dead."

"It is highly improbable that we could carry her out of here and safely make it back to Voyager." Tuvok logically stated.

"I don't give a damn about probability." Chakotay reached down and began untying his Kathryn. He didn't have the use of his left arm, but managed to undue the knots using his right side only. He bent down low, folded the captain over his right shoulder and gently lifted her from her chair. As he stood, he felt a whisper of air on his neck. _Was Kathryn breathing_?

"Tom, check her again. I think she's breathing." Chakotay implored.

"Commander, we checked her for a pulse, she…" Tom began to say.

"Check her, Tom. Now!" Chakotay's temper flared. Lowering Kathryn to the floor gently, he brushed the hair from her face.

Tom came over to the captain and put his fingers on her carotid artery. He looked off in the distance, trying desperately to clear his mind in an effort to definitively feel for a pulse, no matter how faint it may be. He couldn't feel one, but when he leaned in and put his cheek to her open mouth he felt a faint rush of air. Again, he was unsure if what he felt was simply his desire to feel a breath, or if indeed the Captain was still alive.

"Well?" Chakotay demanded.

"I…I don't know." Tom stuttered

"You don't know? Either she is or she isn't breathing." Chakotay pushed his friend aside. Kneeling next to Kathryn, he reached for her hand. She was cold, limp…lifeless. "You can't leave me, Kathryn. There's so much I haven't told you. Something I never got to say." An involuntary shudder ravaged, Chakotay's body. He closed his eyes, not sure if he could ever reopen them.

"Commander?" Tuvok began to ask.

"I know, I know, she's dead." Chakotay just wanted to join her.

"No, I think she moved." Tom burst forth, it was his turn to push Chakotay away. He leaned in again, checked her pulse. It was irregular, faint and nearly imperceptible, but it was very much there. "I can feel her pulse. She doesn't have much time, we need to get her back to the ship-fast."

Tuvok picked up the captain, and the three men made their way out of the chamber toward the surface, where rescue was possible.

Note: please review!


	8. Chapter 8

The away team was beamed directly to sickbay. Tuvok gently placed the limp body of the Captain on the nearest bio-bed.

"Animals! How could anyone do this to someone?" The Doctor pushed Tuvok aside as he rushed in to examine what was left of the captain's body. "She has multiple broken bones, lacerations, burns and internal injuries that rival those usually seen in shuttlecraft accidents." The Doctor continued to run his tricoder over Kathryn's body. He quickly placed a neural node on each of her temples. "Her brain is bruised and its bleeding between the skull and third layer of brain lining. Her subarachnoid space is filling with fluid and her pressures are increasing by the second."

"What does that mean?" Chakotay's concern grew with each new diagnosis.

"It means she's going to die. Unless she's stronger then any of us realized." The Doctor turned around and ran to gather instruments he was going to need to perform emergency surgery.

The words hit Chakotay like phasor fire. They burned in his chest, sucking the breath out of his lungs. He reached for Kathryn's hand and squeezed it. Normally strong and powerful, this man now visibly trembled as he leaned in close to her ear.

Chakotay whispered, "Hold on. Just hold on." There was no response. He hadn't expected one, but would have given his own life to feel her fingers close around his.

"Unless you're here to help, you need to leave." The Doctor began attaching monitors to various areas of the Captains body. "Tom, I'll need your help."

"Absolutely." Tom moved closer so he could converse with the Doctor. The two men prepared for the delicate surgery that awaited them.

Chakotay slowly backed away from the bio-bed. He had no idea what to do next. His world felt like it was collapsing around him, and the feeling of helplessness consumed him. He slowly turned around and walked out of sickbay. The doors swooshed closed behind him and he stopped walking. He placed both of his hands over his face and pressed firmly, trying to feel something - anything. It didn't work. The numbness consumed him.

"Commander." Tuvok was standing behind him. "I have learned after being around humans for many years, that it would be helpful to keep yourself busy."

Chakotay didn't respond. He continued to stand there in the middle of the corridor, stunned.

"We are still in enemy territory, our ship requires further repairs, and there may be hostile alien vessels on their way to intercept the Voyager." Tuvok continued to push his commanding officer into action.

Realization began to wash over, Chakotay. He knew no matter what happened to the Captain, he needed to save the rest of the crew. "You're right. This isn't over. Not by a long shot." Chakotay's shoulders straightened as he took a deep breath. Turning to Tuvok he said, "Come with me."

"Before we go anywhere, your injuries need to be repaired." Tuvok had brought the portable osteo-regenerator with him when he left sickbay.

After a few minutes, Chakotay's arm and head injuries had been repaired. He would not be back to one hundred percent for a few days, but he was ready to return to the mission at hand.

Both men walked briskly down the corridor toward the nearest turbolift. There was a lot of work to be completed.

/

"Report." Chakotay stepped off the turbolift and onto the bridge.

"Welcome back, sir." Harry said. He wanted to ask about the Captain's condition, but decided now was not the time or place. "The Artorian ship that was in orbit around the planet has retreated. At this point it's impossible to say whether they signaled for reinforcements or not."

"Let's just assume they have." Chakotay replied. "We still have Chayan on board and they didn't get what they wanted from the Captain. I bet we have a very limited amount of time to plan our next move." He looked over to Tuvok who was now stationed at his usual console, behind and to the right, of the two command chairs.

"I would agree with that assessment. Nothing has occurred that would indicate the Artorians have given up." Tuvok added.

"Harry, keep monitoring all surrounding areas for enemy vessels. Program the computer to monitor the immediate area for signs of the cloaked ships. Send all anomalous reports directly to my console." Chakotay was formulating a plan of attack.

"Chakotay to B'Elanna"

"B'Elanna here, sir."

"What is the status of weapons and shield repairs?"

"We're still working on it. I would estimate another hour and we should have all systems near one hundred percent."

"Good work. Keep me posted on the progress. The Artorian ship retreated, but we assume there will be more on the way. We have to have systems functioning if we are going to have a fighting chance."

"Understood." Belanna cut transmission and hurried to tell her team of the new time crunch.

As Chakotay worked on possible combat scenarios with Tuvok, a thought entered his mind.

"Tuvok, what are we going to do with Chayan?"

"Sir?"

"We can't keep her. She may not even want to stay aboard Voyager." Chakotay thought how he would normally be having this conversation with Kathryn, and a raw gnawing pain formed in his gut.

"She mentioned that there was an underground group of her own people that helped her escape. I suggest we ask her how to contact that group and entrust her wellbeing to them." Tuvok suggested.

"Commander! The computer has identified a possible cloaked ship. There is a slight variation of Tachyon particles and tetrazine gas mixture, but it suggests an Artorian vessel." Harry's eyes grew wide with anticipation. "The ship's decloaking."

"Route the visual to my chair console." Chakotay said as he made his way to his command chair. The view screen had been destroyed in the last skirmish and was not a priority to fix at this point in time.

The ship shimmered into view. It was enormous. Dwarfing Voyager, the Artorian ship was impressive in size and intimidating in structure. Dark in color, the metallic mammoth sported multiple gun turrets on each side of the ship. This ship was meant for battle - not exploration.

"They're hailing us." Harry's voice quivered slightly, causing him to clear his throat in an attempt to gain control over his emotions.

"On screen." Chakotay was prepared to face his enemies.

Chakotay's monitor displayed the face of his new enemy. Much like Korath, this man was pale in color with dark veins mapping his face. His eyes were equally as dark and menacing as his predecessor. Chakotay knew in his heart, this man was equally as evil and dangerous; someone who could not be negotiated with.

"Where is IT?" The Artorian demanded.

"And you are...?" Chakotay replied.

"I am Tokarad, NEW leader of the Royal Order of Nah. I demand you return to me what is rightfully ours. If you do not comply immediately you will be destroyed."

"As we told the previous leader of your Order, we don't know what your talking about. We are simply attempting to return home. It has been a very long -"

"Silence!" Tokarad slammed both fists onto the console before him and leaned in closer. "You have our Special-One and we want her back. Now!" Spittle hit the screen as he spoke.

Chakotay glanced back to Tuvok and signaled for him to prepare for the inevitable. "I assure you, we have nothing that belongs to you aboard our ship. Now if you don't mind, we..."

Chakotay's screen went black, indicating the conversation had ended.

"Chakotay to B'Elanna."

"Yes, sir?"

"Now's the time. We need everything we have online and working."

B'Elanna's reply was interrupted by phasor fire as it rocked Voyager hard to port.

"Harry, target their weapons systems. Use the calculations Seven programmed into the computer." Chakotay commanded as he attempted to stand.

"Sir, it's not working. This ship is completely different then the last one. I don't know where to target our weapons fire." Harry continued to tap commands into his console attempting to find similarities between the two ships.

"Commander, shields just went off line." Tuvok said.

"Harry, use Seven's formula and try other areas of the ship to focus our weapons fire." Chakotay reached under his command chair and grabbed a heavy metal bat. "Tuvok, send a ship wide message. Everyone needs to be prepared for hand-to-hand combat. They need to use something other then phasors, and spread out around the ship. I don't want to get caught off guard again."

"Eight enemy intruders have just transported to Voyager." Tuvok stated flatly as he tapped commands into the console before him. "Two have materialized near sickbay and four directly into engineering." Tuvok looked up in Chakotay's direction.

"Where are the other..." Chakotay felt his clavicle snap as he was struck from behind. His vision dimmed and he realized he had already fallen to his knees. Attempting to stand, he reached for the console in front of him, only to have his enemy land a well placed kick to his back. As his head hit the floor of the bridge, his last conscious thoughts were of his Voyager family - then blackness consumed his mind.

/

B'Elanna had nearly completed her work on shields when Voyager lurched hard to port, knocking her off balance and interrupting her train of thought. She managed to stop herself from falling by gripping the top of her computer console and widening her base of support. Readjusting her stance and centering herself in front of her console, she was just in time to see the total collapse of shields - what was left of them anyway.

"Damn!" B'Elanna slammed her fist onto the console, cracking the thin polycarbonate coating on its surface. She knew she was out of time. From behind her she could hear what sounded like an argument between Vorik and someone she didn't recognize. A cold chill tickled up her spine causing her to involuntarily shiver. She lifted her head and turned in the direction of the conflict.

What she saw took a minute to register in her mind. Standing menacingly in front of Vorik was an intruder. She began by taking a step forward, wanting to assist her friend, when she remembered she needed a weapon. Quickly turning to her right, B'Elanna reached out her hand to grab a piece of titanium tubing, only to have her arm swatted away by an unseen attacker.

B'Elanna instinctually took a step back and brought her arms up - ready to fight. Standing before her was a large alien dressed in a dark hooded robe that hid his face. He was at least a half meter taller then she was, but it wasn't fear coursing through her veins; it was inherited Klingon rage.

At first the Artorian stood still, just staring at her. His garments hung motionless on his body, adding to his ominous appearance. Without warning, he hurled his body at B'Elanna. His arms flailed in front of him, each of his large murderous hands grabbed at her uniform. B'Elanna barely managed to duck in time to elude his grasp - his arms simply closed around nothing but air. She pivoted around on her left leg, using her right to kick her enemy sidelong in the knee. She could feel the bottom of her boot make contact; his knee collapsed at an unnatural angle. The sound of snapping ligaments fueled B'Elanna's attack. She stood up and rushed her hobbled enemy. Jumping head first toward him, she managed to knock him flat on his back - his head snapped violently backwards onto the metal deck plating.

An involuntary growl left B'Elanna's mouth as she kneeled heavily on the intruder's chest. She repeatedly slammed both of her fists hard, into his face, as he struggled to knock B'Elanna off balance - off his chest. The Artorian continued to struggle violently, and managed to bring both his legs up around B'Elanna's torso, in an attempt to push her backward off his body. He failed.

B'Elanna could see a shadow quickly approach from behind. She was unable to turn and see who was coming, it could have been another enemy, but she didn't care. She knew she could take out two enemies if she had to - she welcomed the challenge. B'Elanna continued to struggle, she was held firmly between the alien's legs, as he squeezed her tightly and began to force his legs flat causing her to lean backward and off his chest. Just as she thought she had lost the advantage she currently held, the shadowy figure came into view. Much to her relief, she saw Seven of Nine.

Seven had a thick titanium pipe in one hand, it was covered in the blood of one or more enemy intruders. B'Elanna knew it would soon have the blood of another, and she was quickly proven right. Seven raised the pipe high into the air and brought it down hard, not once, but three times. What was left of the alien's head laid flat - shapeless with brain matter that oozed out onto the floor around them.

B'Elanna wiped the gore from her own face and stood next to her fellow female warrior. Both women were covered in carnage, breathing heavily and ready for another fight - if it was necessary. B'Elanna put her hand on Seven's shoulder and wordlessly conveyed her appreciation. The sentiment was not lost on Seven, she acknowledged B'Elanna's appreciation with a raised eyebrow and slight tilt of the head.

Feeling empowered and ready to continue the fight, the two women went in search of their next battle.

"Over there." B'Elanna pointed in the direction of the supine form of Vorik.

The two women rushed over to find that the Vulcan as laying atop his enemy. He was breathing heavily and covered in blood. B'Elanna quickly determined Vorik was unharmed because the blood was a pale blue, rather then the green hue of Vulcan blood.

"Vorik, are you damaged?" Seven kneeled next to the engineer.

"I am not. I was successful." Vorik took a deep, calming breath. "The Artorian intruder was unable to access the warp core."

"Good work." B'Elanna stretched out her hand to her colleague and assisted him into a standing position.

As Vorik continued to give an account of what happened, the remaining engineering team staggered up to their Chief.

B'Elanna turned to the rag-tag group of engineers. Her pride swelled and her spirit soared as she saw that each of them had fought hard to defend the ship. After everyone was accounted for, injuries assessed, and acknowledgement made for their considerable efforts, B'Elanna began to command her team to continue making ship's repairs. She had no way of telling at this moment what had transpired around the rest of the ship. She just hoped and prayed that she and her team's efforts were not in vain.

/

The Doctor hunched over the Captain as he attempted to stop the bleeding in her brain. His fingers moved deftly around the operating table, easily managing multiple surgical instruments while giving commands to Lt. Paris who was assisting him with the delicate operation.

"Success!" The Doctor declared. "Now if you would be so kind as to hand me the dermal regenerator, I will close the captain back up and we can begin working on her less serious injuries." He reached out his hand to take the proffered instrument from Tom, only to see Tom and the instrument fall to the floor as Voyager lurched hard to port.

"How can anyone get anything done around here? What's going on out there?" The Doctor complained. "Mr. Paris, are you all right?" He helped his assistant to stand.

"Yah, I'm ok." Tom mindlessly rubbed the side of his head that had made contact with the bio-bed as he fell. "We're under attack again."

"You don't say." The Doctor huffed sarcastically.

"I should get up to the bridge. They'll need my help." Tom rushed for the door. As it swooshed open, he ran right into two Artorian intruders - stopping him dead in his tracks.

He quickly turned and ran back into sick bay and locked the door with an encrypted security code.

"We have company." Tom turned toward the Doctor. "We need to hide the Captain and Chayan."

"Hide them where? This is sickbay, not a play ground." The Doctor rushed over to the Captain and began to ready her to be moved. He disengaged all unnecessary monitoring devices as well as covered her body with an opaque thermal blanket.

"Doc, move her over to the back of sickbay. I can erect a level ten forcefield and keep her and Chayan behind it. They'll still be visible, but the Artorian's won't be able to get in there." Tom was already moving into the Doctor's private office area to retrieve Chayan.

"Have they found us again?" Chayan jumped up from her chair. "Maybe you should just give me back to them. They will never stop trying to find me. It's all my fault."

Tom instinctively wanted to console her and tell her it would all be fine but he didn't have time.

"Chayan, they have boarded the ship again. We need to get you and the Captain behind the forcefield to keep you safe. Come with me." Tom reached out his hand and lead her to where the Captain lay unconscious on her bio-bed.

Tom could hear the Artorian's trying to forcibly open the doors to sickbay. They were banging and tearing pieces of metal from the surrounding wall units as they progressed in their efforts. Tom quickly set the forcefield in place and reassured Chayan that she would be safe.

"Tom?" Chayan needed to tell him something.

"You'll be fine. They can't get to you in here." Tom tried again to calm her down, she looked very small and afraid and it worried him that he may be unintentionally lying to her.

"No. Listen to me." Chayan needed him to pay attention to her. "They have personal shielding. It's very powerful, you wont be able to shoot them."

"We know that already. We have to use blunt hand weapons." Tom felt grateful he never changed out of his under-armor. He felt strongly he was going to need it soon.

"Their shields have a design flaw. They can be overloaded. It'll cause them great harm. You need to - " Chayan tried to explain but was interrupted by the doors to sickbay imploding violently; bits and pieces of metal cascaded down on Tom.

Tom raised his arm up over his head to shield him from the falling debris. The pieces that came into contact with the nearby forcefield were deflected instantly; the electronic buzz sound, and flicker of light were the only evidence of the powerful protective forcefield.

An idea flashed into Tom's mind. He knew what he needed to do, but he had to have help from the Doctor.

"Doc, the only way we are going to get out of this unharmed is by you doing exactly what I tell you to do. Got it?"

The Doctor hesitated, but only for a moment. He acknowledged his agreement with a quick nod of his head. Tom smiled and leaned in to tell him exactly what they needed to do and how they needed to do it. They were only going to have one shot at this, and Tom knew the fate of the Captain depended on this idea working the first time.

Tom and the Doctor stood directly in front of where Chayan and the Captain were placed. The two hulking Artorian aliens slowly walked toward them. Suspecting a trap, the intruders stopped once they were within fifteen feet of Tom and the Doctor.

Tom and the Doctor prepared themselves for the battle. Both men crouched low with their fists up protecting their face.

The Artorian intruders looked at each other and smiled before rushing their targets. As they were about to make contact, both Tom and the Doctor bent low as the Arotrians lunged forward. Tom and the Doctor shifted their weight from front to back and lifted upwards as they deflected the attackers over their backs, using the enemy's momentum to send them airborne into the forcefield.

The Artorian personal shields made contact with the forcefield with devastating effects. Sickbay was filled with blinding light, the sound of sparks sizzling past Tom's ears told him his plan had worked. Confirmation came after Tom rubbed his eyes to clear his vision and saw the two charred bodies of his attackers laying at the foot of the forcefield. The smell of burned flesh was overwhelming - yet satisfying. He had successfully saved the Captain.

Tom quickly deactivated the forcefield and checked on Kathryn. Her vitals were stable and the Doctor quickly began the arduous task of fixing her many other injuries.

"Tom, I'm going to need your help with her." The Doctor gestured toward the Captain.

"I need to get to the bridge. Have Chayan help you." Tom replied as he hurried out of sickbay. He would have stayed had the Captain's other injuries been life threatening, but he trusted the Doctor and decided it was more important to help save the ship.

/

Harry looked up from his console just as the Artorian intruder kicked the Commander in the back - knocking him unconscious. Tuvok was already engaged in a battle of his own, and Harry knew he didn't have much time if he was going to help. He knew he wasn't as strong or proficiently battle trained as Tuvok or Chakotay, but the element of surprise goes a long way in a fight.

He ducked low, circling around the far side of the bridge to come up behind the intruder who stood over Chakotay's limp form. The Artorian knelt down on one knee and began examining the commander's body - looking for something. Harry looked to his left and saw a compartment door handle that had been torn loose during the previous battle. He grabbed it. It wasn't as heavy as he would have liked, but it was solid metal and sharp on one end. It would have to do.

Harry's heart began to beat wildly in his chest. The sound of blood rushing through the vessels in his ears was so vivid he wondered if it would give his position away. Shaking off the nerves and doubts that grew within him with each passing step, he stopped two meters from his final destination. He again, looked at his weapon and decided it was now or never. He had to do something and he needed to do it fast.

Raising the weapon high above his head, he threw his body forward onto his enemy. The sharpened end of the handle easily penetrated deeply into the back of the alien's head. Harry was horrified as he felt the makeshift blade severe the alien's spinal cord. The Artorian's movements and muscle tone immediately disappeared and he collapsed in a motionless heap underneath Harry's body.

As quickly as the attack began, it also ended. Harry leapt to his feet, eager to detach himself from what he had just done. He rushed over to the Commander, rolled him over onto his back, and checked for a pulse. He was greatly relieved to feel it was a strong and steady heartbeat.

Harry then looked across the room where Tuvok stood over his enemy. He too had finished the fight quickly and efficiently. Tuvok looked up and turned toward Harry. The Vulcan appeared calm - emotionless. The only evidence of a struggle was his rapid and deep breathing, and a small trickle of green blood that dripped from his nose. Harry nodded to the Chief of Security and silently wished that he would never have to do what he had just done again. He was proud of his accomplishment but he was thankful it was over.

The doors to the bridge swooshed open and Tom Paris ran into the room. He looked around the bridge, prepared for a fight, but quickly realized it wouldn't be necessary.

"Harry, what happened?" Tom asked

"It's a long story." He looked down at Chakotay. "We need to get him to sickbay."

"First, we need to get out of enemy territory or destroy the Artorian ship. We can ill afford to have another invasion of hostiles." Tuvok corrected them.

"What do you have in mind?" Tom asked.

"Harry, hail the Artorian ship." Tuvok commanded.

"No response, sir." Harry tapped commands into the console. "They're charging weapons!"

Tuvok accessed Seven's formula in the computer; she had saved it into the computer's memory banks during the previous battle. Through a series of calculations, she had determined the weak spot of the enemy vessel and identified the precise amount of weapons fire needed to destroy it. He used her initial formula, which was related to the first enemy ship they encountered, and revised it with the new information they gathered from the current ship. The computer estimated that a short burst of phasor fire, on a two-gamma-four variable cycle followed by a single photon torpedo, would destroy the vessel; regardless of its shielding capabilities.

Tuvok sent the information to Tom and Harry's consoles.

"Gentlemen, you know what to do." Tuvok stated flatly. "Fire at will."

Harry programmed the ship's phasors to cycle at the pattern given by Tuvok and fired. After two short bursts of phasor fire, Tom released a photon torpedo. Within seconds, the Artorian ship exploded in a cascade of brilliant color and light. The shockwave could be felt, but no further damage to Voyager was taken.

"Well done." Tuvok stated, after Tom and Harry yelled out in triumph. "Now you can bring the commander to sickbay." Tuvok tapped his comm badge. "Tuvok to the Doctor."

"Yes?"

"We are bringing Chakotay to you. He is unconscious, but I don't believe his injuries are life threatening."

"Well, you stick to the security needs of the ship and let me determine what's life threatening and what's not." The Doctor cut transmission without a further exchange of words.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: I want to thank TheJesser again for being such a great Beta! Also thank you all for reading and please continue to give feedback. It's all appreciated.

Chakotay's eyes snapped open and the bright lights surrounding him sent a sharp pain searing through his head. He scrunched them closed and took a deep breath, trying to quell the panic rising within him. Where was he? Why was he in so much pain? Slowly releasing his breath, he endured the pain and opened his eyes again. Glancing around, he realized he was in sickbay. Suddenly the memories of his last waking moments on the bridge flashed through his mind. Voyager had been boarded by the Artorians again, and he had been severely injured.

He managed to gingerly get himself into a seated position on the biobed. Sickbay looked like it had been turned into a battle zone. Lights flickered overhead, tables and instruments had been overturned and littered the floor. From where he sat, Chakotay could not see the Doctor, but he could hear him cleaning up debris and complaining to himself.

"How is anyone supposed to heal the wounded, when you're constantly being attacked?" The Doctor said as he swept up glass just out of Chakotay's line of sight. "The last time I checked I was a doctor, not a janitor. Would it kill someone to come and help me?"

The incessant complaining, which usually annoyed everyone aboard Voyager, brought a smile to Chakotay's face. It was comforting to the first officer to see that no matter how bad a situation may get, some things will always stay the same.

"Chakotay?" A familiar, yet raspy voice, uttered his name from behind him.

Swinging his legs off the biobed, he sat on its edge. He had known it was Kathryn who had called to him, yet he always felt a surprising rush when he laid his eyes on her. She lay on the biobed next to his, still attached to the neural monitors. Her weakened physical state became evident as she tried to sit up. At first she was unsuccessful, but she struggled and managed to sit up at the edge of her biobed, much like Chakotay.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I have a splitting headache, a bad taste in my mouth, and I could really use a shower." She said as her hand unconsciously reached up and rubbed her forehead. "How about you? You look like you've seen better days."

"I think I'm fine. I hurt pretty much all over, but nothing seems to be permanently damaged." Chakotay couldn't help but smile when he looked at his best friend.

"What are you smiling about?" She said suspiciously.

"I just can't stop thinking about how..." Chakotay's smile disappeared. His expression became serious as he fought back his emotions. "...great you are." He broke eye contact.

"Well, I think you're pretty great yourself. You managed to rescue me, save the ship, and keep Chayan safe. I'd say you're the one who deserves the praise." She reached over and patted his knee, her hand lingered there a bit longer then it needed to.

"I managed to help save you, Kathryn. To be honest though, I just woke up. I'm not sure who or what saved Voyager, but it wasn't me." He looked at his leg where her hand had been just a moment ago. "I did it all for you."

"You would have done it for any of us." She corrected him.

"Maybe." Chakotay wasn't sure how to continue. He had a lot he wanted to say to her, but wasn't sure this was the time or place. They had just narrowly escaped death. They were both covered in blood, soot, and bruises. This was definitely not the romantic scene he had always dreamt about.

Chakotay absently rubbed a hand over his face while he looked at his reflection in the instrument tray next to his biobed. "Would it have killed the doctor to clean us both up a bit?"

"I'm pretty sure he didn't have time for such vane pursuits." Kathryn replied with an exaggerated sweeping gesture with her arm.

"You're probably right." Chakotay smiled as he looked at the sickbay-turned-disaster area.

"Chakotay, there is something I really need to discuss with you." Kathryn's voice took on a different tonal quality. It was much deeper then usual and had a wavering sound to it. "Are you feeling up to a discussion now, or would you prefer to wait for another time and place?"

"Now would be...great."

"Not so fast you two." The Doctor entered the room. "I advise you both to take it easy for the next few days...not that you'll listen to me. What do I know, I'm only the doctor on this ship." He approached the Captain and fiddled with the neural monitors before he continued. "I guess you won't be needing these anymore. Your brain has sufficiently healed, but you need to take care of yourself. That means plenty of rest, ample amounts of food and water. And no coffee for at least a week. You don't need caffeine expanding the blood vessels in your brain, potentially causing the bleeding to start again."

"Got it. No coffee. Plenty of rest." Kathryn rolled her eyes and gave Chakotay a glance as she knew he was next on the doctor's lecturing list.

"And as for you." The Doctor turned to, Chakotay. "You need to stop getting into fights. You're not as young as you think you are, and obviously not as well trained."

Chakotay's face flushed red as he heard Kathryn giggle. He couldn't think of anything he'd rather do more then decompile that arrogant, self-absorbed, irritating, Doctor's program.

"Maybe we can discuss my physical condition at a more appropriate time." Chakotay gave the Doctor a look that would have given any other member of the crew, reason to pause.

The Doctor was oblivious to Chakotay's plight. "Let's just hope you don't have any more encounters with dangerous aliens; at least until you have fully healed. And as I've already mentioned, at your age that could take a while." The Doctor turned and left the room, leaving his two patients momentarily speechless.

The command team laughed lightly after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"So where were we? You said you wanted to -" Chakotay started to say.

"I love you."

"I love you to." Chakotay's response was quick and matter-of-fact.

"I know we have love for one another. Everyone aboard Voyager is a family...we love each other. However, I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that I'm IN love with you." Kathryn wasn't sure how else to say it.

Chakotay slid off his biobed and came to stand directly in front of where Kathryn now stood. His heart was pounding, his breaths were coming faster as he tried to hold back tears.

"You can't imagine how long and how badly I have wanted to hear those words from you." He took hold of her hands and squeezed them tenderly in his own.

Kathryn took a step forward and hugged him tight. She instantly felt secure - protected. She could have stayed there in his arms for the rest of her life, but logic won out and she released her hold on him.

They just stood there facing each other in silence. They looked into each other's face, searching each other's eyes for a signal; a sign to tell them what to do next.

"So now what do we do?" Chakotay asked, a mischievous smile crossing his face.

"Behave yourself, the Doctor is lurking around here somewhere. I'm sure of it." Kathryn took a couple steps back from her first officer. "We still need to discuss exactly how we are going to manage this relationship."

"Manage?" Chakotay laughed. "You can't manage a relationship. Don't worry about it now. We have plenty of time to formulate a plan." Chakotay wanted to take this discussion somewhere more private. "I just can't imagine living my life without you."

Kathryn was momentarily speechless at his honest and unguarded admission.

"I..."

"Tuvok to sick-"

Kathryn never heard the end of his sentence. The floor of sickbay rushed up to meet her as she was slammed onto the ground. Chakotay was sent airborne and the biobed closest to where he had been standing, was ripped from its mountings and toppled over, nearly crushing the captain.

Klaxons sounded throughout the ship. Lights dimmed and turned red informing everyone of the new alert status.

The Doctor rushed into the room to check on the Captain and first officer. He was just in time to see two Artorian intruders attaching transporter beacons to their Starfleet uniforms. Seconds later, all four individuals were transported off Voyager.

"The Doctor to Tuvok."

"Doctor, I suggest you mask the biosignature of Chayan, our shielding is down and we are vulnerable to intruders"

"They're gone." The Doctor said in disbelief.

"Could you be more specific Doctor?"

"Chayan is safely hidden but..."

"But what Doctor?"

"The Captain and Commander Chakotay have both been transported off Voyager."

/

The bridge of Voyager went silent for a moment. All eyes turned to Tuvok who stood there staring at the front wall of the bridge.

"Harry, are you detecting human biosignatures aboard the Artorian vessel?"

"Um, one second." Harry tapped a series of commands into his computer console. "Yes. They have been transported aboard their ship." His eyes grew wide with panic. "Sir, they have reversed course and are headed back into Artorian space."

"I'll set course to follow them." Tom added.

"Harry, track their emission trail." Tuvok commanded.

"They have recloaked, but I have identified their specific emission trail. We should be able to follow them if we stay close enough." Harry announced. He continued to analyze the computer data as it was gathered.

"What I don't understand is why they took them? Why not just board the ship and take Chayan by force?" Tom shook his head, not really expecting an answer.

"The Doctor successfully masked Chayan's biosignature, making it nearly impossible for them to locate her. Often primative, and highly emotional cultures, resort to kidnapping and torture to get what they want." Tuvok continued to study the path the Artorian ship was taking.

"All indications are that they will be returning to the planet where we first rescued the Captain." Tuvok said. "We should prepare ourselves for another battle." He pursed his lips, puzzled by the Artorian's illogical actions.

/

A drop of sweat meandered its way slowly from Chakotay's brow, to his cheek, and then eventually dripped off his chin. Being unable to wipe his face was maddening. Worse yet, was the rough burlap bag that had been forced over his head, limiting what he could see. He strained to hear what was going on around him. From behind, the hollow clanking sound of water dripping into a metallic pale could be heard. There was no indication of insect noise or the sound of wind against the leaves of trees. The air around him was still and damp. The clues added up quickly. He determined he was inside, possibly underground.

Again, trying to definitively determine his location, he took a deep breath. Chakotay often relied upon the sense of smell to bring back memories of past events. Months ago, he had asked the Doctor why smells triggered such vivid memories. He was surprised to hear that the sense of smell was the oldest of the human senses, with a direct route to the brain.

Inhaling deeply, Chakotay nearly gagged. His nose and mouth were filled with a sour tasting dust. Apparently the sack, now used to obscure his vision, was once used to carry food stuffs; now long since decayed. His next breath, while deep, was strictly done through his nose. This time, he managed to smell a hint of Borzine. Chakotay wasn't surprised to find that he was once again in the same underground chamber he had rescued Kathryn from just a few short hours ago. The Borzine was an element being mined on the Artorian planet, which was used to fuel their ships.

Realizing that, given his current location, he was probably not alone. He strained again to hear who was in the chamber with him. As he slowed his breathing and focused is thoughts and hearing on his surroundings he managed to pick up on the two guards standing on either side of him. To confirm his suspicions, he swayed from side to side, made contact with each of them with his shoulders, and immediately regretted his decision. His movements were met with a hard blow to his back.

Chakotay nearly fell forward, off of the seat he was perched on. His hands had been tied behind his back with a hard plastic tie with rough edges, and he was unable to catch himself from falling. Much to his surprise, one of the guards grabbed him roughly on the shoulder and pulled him back into a seated position. He leaned against the back of the hard metallic chair, its surface was cold and rough, snagging the back of his uniform each time he moved.

He tentatively tugged at his bindings but was unable to loosen them. The harder he pulled, the deeper they cut into his skin. At this point, he determined it made little sense to cause himself injury, when he did not yet know what he was up against. Trying to relax, he took another deep breath, letting it out slowly through pursed lips. His attempt at calming himself was very short lived as he heard the familiar creaking sound of the hatch that was used as an entrance to the abandoned mine.

Something, or someone had just been pushed down the steps. Chakotay could hear it had landed at the foot of the stairs with a sickening thud. A moaning sound soon followed, and Chakotay felt sick as he realized it had indeed been a person thrown down the stone stairway.

"Shut up, woman." The lead Artorian said indignantly.

Chakotay's senses went into a state of hyper-awareness. Suddenly, as his panic surged through him, he was able to determine the presence of four guards, plus the lead tormentor. He also, sadly detected the familiar sound of Kathryn's shoes as they shuffled along the stone floor. Chakotay became irritated with himself as his inner thoughts made a mental note to remind Kathryn she needed to fix the squeaky heel of her left shoe.

He found himself unconsciously straining against the bindings. He stopped only when he realized his left hand had completely lost feeling because the blood supply had been cut off for too long. Relaxing back onto his chair, the blood rushed back into his hand with a familiar pins and needles feeling. He pumped his hand a few times to make sure it was usable, just in case he needed to fight.

"Give me what I want." The Artorian demanded, just before he slapped Kathryn across the face. Kathryn grunted under the force of the blow. She then coughed and spat onto the floor. Chakotay could only imagine the worse.

He fought the overwhelming urge to scream. To attack his enemies. He needed to do something. Kathryn was in danger. The woman he loved, the one who made his world complete, the one who just confessed her love for him, needed him. Chakotay could barely remain seated, his body fought hard against his mind. His mind told him to sit, wait, determine the best course of action with the most likely positive outcome. His heart, on the other hand, screamed to him. It told him to kill his enemies, save the one he loved, tear apart his enemies. His emotions were winning this battle.

"You weren't able to break me the last time, what makes you think you can do it this time?" Chakotay heard Kathryn growl.

"That was my predecessor's mistake. I won't be as kind as he was." The Artorian torturer said. "It's Chakotay isn't it? Welcome to our planet. I really hope you enjoy your stay here." Chakotay felt the man step even closer. "Remove the bag from his head."

He then bent down and hissed into Chakotay's ear. "Let him watch. I want to see the horror on his face while we kill his captain."

The guard standing over Chakotay ripped the bag from his head; the rough fabric burning his skin as it slid across his cheek.

At first he was relieved to have the bag removed. He could see his surroundings. While he still had his hands tied behind is back, he didn't feel as confined now that he could see. His relief quickly dissolved as he saw Kathryn sitting fifteen feet away from him. The two of them faced each other. Both had been tied up and had an armed guard on each side.

"I will give you one more chance. I need one of you to order your people to return to us what is rightfully ours." The Artorian walked around the chamber, picked up various menacing instruments and examined them intently. "You can make this easy on yourselves, or you can watch each other die. It's as simple as that. Give me the 'special-one' and you will be returned to your people. Refuse and we will hunt and kill each and every one of you until we have IT back." The Captor spat his final two words out directly into Kathryn's face.

She didn't flinch. Her head slowly turned, and she looked him directly in the eyes.

"You will fail." Kathryn stuck our her chin, her tone was dangerous and full of ice cold hatred.

The alien straightened slowly, he was taken aback by the intensity of her direct loathing. He turned to the guard behind him and held out his hand. He was given a long wooded paddle with nails that stuck out of the flat end of it. Holding it high above his head he turned to Chakotay and smiled.

"Suit yourself," he said calmly. Turning, he swung the paddle hard into Kathryn's thigh. The nails pierced the skin and came to rest momentarily against bone.

She cried out in pain. Gasping for breath, in an attempt to remain conscious, her limbs trembled and tears traveled down her cheeks onto her battered uniform below.

Chakotay tried desperately to stand. An involuntary primitive growl, began to form deep within him. His eyes were wide and wildly darted around the room, seeking a weapon he could use to defend her. His muscles tightened and grew strong, full of adrenaline, he was prepared to kill using his bare hands. He pulled at his bindings, attempting to break free. Managing to slip his restraints up and over the back of the chair, he stood and turned toward his captors. Instinctively, his inner warrior came to life as he brought his shoulder down and rammed the guard nearest to him. He felt his enemy topple, however he found himself quickly knocked down onto his knees; then a single knee to his face knocked him flat on his back.

"Pick him up and make him face his captain." The Artorian leader commanded.

"Leave her alone! If you want to break someone, try and break me." Chakotay screamed. He couldn't take his eyes off, Kathryn. She continued to sit in silence, slumped over with her hands tied behind her back. "Kathryn." Chakotay couldn't help but call out to her. Tears filled his eyes, as he pleaded with his captors.

She slowly looked up at him. Her face was blank, except for her eyes. He could tell she was trying to tell him something but he couldn't figure it out. All he wanted to do was kill everyone in this room and save her.

"Ah. So you call her Kathryn?" The lead Captor turned to, Chakotay. "She isn't JUST your captain then, is she?"

Chakotay looked at Kathryn again. That was what she was trying to tell him. She didn't want the Artorians to know they had a personal connection that may be exploited. Kathryn's eyes pleaded with him not to say anything else. She slowly shook her head and closed her eyes. Her shoulders once again drooped, as her head hung motionless; nearly defeated. Chakotay looked away, ashamed of his mistake.

"Very well. We will try this another way." The Artorian walked over to Chakotay, grabbed his hair and pulled back hard. Chakotay's head snapped backwards and he was forced to look directly at Kathryn. She in turn was forced into the same position as he was.

"Give me the torch." The guard handed the lead captor what looked like a blow-torch. He turned the nozzle and it produced a searing hot blue flame. The guard on Chakotay's left side, reached down and tore the first officer's pant leg off, exposing his bare skin underneath.

Without any delay, the tormentor lowered the flame to Chakotay's skin. The sizzling sound of melting flesh couldn't be heard over Chakotay's agonizing screams. The burning flame penetrated past skin and muscle, charring the deeper structures below. Blackened flesh split in two, but didn't bleed because all underlying vessels had been destroyed. Chakotay struggled to remain conscious, but the welcoming blackness soon consumed him.

"Stop. Now!" Kathryn struggled and fought against her captors.

"He is weak. You could do better." The Artorian turned back to Kathryn.

"He cannot give you what you want. Only I can." Kathryn settled back down on her stool. She was fully prepared to take a beating. "But you won't get what you want from me. You're a sorry excuse for a leader."

"You're right. You won't tell me what I want to know. You have been...impressive." he gestured toward Chakotay's unconscious form. "But your pathetic subordinate is just that - pathetic."

The guards managed to bring Chakotay back around by splashing cold water in his face. Coughing, he gasped for air as his lungs tried to clear away the water that had made its way inside.

The Artorian leader leaned in close to Chakotay's face. His breath was foul; a combination of decayed flesh and excrement. Chakotay coughed involuntarily at the intense smell, and managed to swallow down the gorge that made its way up his throat.

"Your captain is a very strong woman. You should be proud." The Artorian said. "You on the other hand are puny - weak. I demand that you contact your ship and have them transport the Special-One to us, immediately."

"Never." Chakotay replied with as much strength and conviction as his broken body could muster.

"Never's a long time to wait." The captor turned and pointed directly to Kathryn. "Especially when her life's at stake."

Chakotay could feel his heart begin to pound. The knot in his stomach grew tighter and he had an overwhelming urge to scream. To fight. Something - anything to save Kathryn.

"Commander." Kathryn's tone was menacing; her message of warning was clear.

/

"The Captain and Commander are definitely in the underground chamber." Harry announced.

"Good work, Mr. Kim." Tuvok sat down in the Captain's chair. "Are you able to get a lock on their biosignatures?"

"Negative, sir. Something is jamming the signal."

"Most likely the same jamming signal is being used that we encountered during our last visit." Tuvok tapped some commands into the chair-side monitor. "Paris, prepare to beam down to the surface. They will be expecting us this time."

"I'm ready when you are. I have already alerted Seven that we'll need her help. She's going to meet us in the transporter room in ten minutes." Tom replied.

The door to the bridge swooshed open. Chayan stepped quickly onto the bridge, followed closely by Neelix.

"Chayan, you shouldn't be up here. They are very busy and we'll just get in the way." Neelix attempted to corral Chayan back into the turbo-lift.

"I need to speak to whoever is in charge." She was not going to listen to anyone until she got to say what she needed to first. Chayan looked around the bridge at all the faces staring back at her.

Tuvok slowly stood up from the command chair and turned to face Chayan.

"Now is not the time for interruption." Tuvok stated flatly.

"Now is the only time." She rushed over to where Tuvok stood. "I demand to be transported to the planet. This whole situation has gotten out of hand, and it's all my fault."

"I understand that you are having an emotional response to what is happening around you. I assure you that no one blames you." Tuvok signaled for Neelix to approach. "Mr. Neelix will take you back to sickbay where we can keep you safe."

"No. I am going to the surface. If you won't transport me, then I'll take my shuttle. The Captain said I was not a prisoner here." Chayan put her hands on her hips and glared directly into Tuvok's face.

"That is correct. You are our guest. You can...leave, whenever you want." Tuvok turned back toward the command chair, then back to Chayan before continuing. "Do you think that the Royal Order of Nah will give the Captain and Commander back to us unharmed, if you willingly return to them?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that they will not stop until they have their "special-one" back. I'm really sorry you good people were dragged into this in the first place. Transport me to the surface, give me transporter tags, and I will do my best to attach them. This way everyone gets what they want." Chayan looked away for a moment. "I'm tired of seeing people hurt because of me. As long as I live, I pose a danger to everyone around me."

"You're argument is logical. If you are sure this is what you desire, we will not stop you from leaving."

"It is."

"Very well. Tuvok to Lt. Carey."

"Carey here, sir."

"Our guest will be returning to the planet's surface. Transport her directly to the underground chamber where the Captain and Commander are being held. She will have transporter tags set to a Sirilian frequency. As soon as they are activated, beam the command team directly to sickbay."

"Understood." Carey replied.

"I suggest you bring a third transporter beacon with you. If you decide to return to the ship, activate it and we will immediately transport you back to Voyager." Tuvok suggested.

"Thank you. But that won't be necessary." With that said, Chayan turned and left the bridge. She walked quickly and confidently to the transporter room. This would all soon be over and she could again be at peace.

/

The blood dripped from Kathryn's nose, it was broken and swollen - quickly getting worse with each passing moment. Her head bobbed slightly as she tried to remain conscious. The attack had been brutal and relentless. She had been struck multiple times in the head, face, and chest. The pain had become so great that she could no longer feel each individual blow, it was simply pain. Burning, sharp, constant and overwhelming. There were multiple ways to describe it, but it all hurt the same. Anything positive and happy that had ever happened to her, was now a distant memory.

"You can stop this you know." The Artorian laughed in Chakotay's general direction. "You're the reason she's hurting. You're the reason she's going to die. All you have to do is give me what I want, and I'll let you both return to your ship. It's as simple as that."

"If you kill her, you'll have to kill me too. I won't rest until you're dead. Do you hear me? I'm going to KILL YOU!" Chakotay desperately screamed the words in his tormentor's face.

"Don't you worry. Your death can be arranged." The torturer walked over to a table that contained his vast supply or hideous weaponry. "You had your chance to save her." He then picked up a long serrated knife and walked slowly over to Kathryn's nearly unconscious body. He then signaled for his guard to lift her head.

The guard unceremoniously yanked her head backwards, exposing her delicate throat.

"No! Stop!" Chakotay pleaded. "Just stop, please."

Chakotay struggled hard against he bindings that held him tight. Blood ran from his wrists as the ties cut into his skin. Sweat dripped from his hair and face as he thrashed around trying to free his hands. The chair he sat on broke and he fell to the floor. The guards quickly restrained him, using their body weight to keep him flat on the ground; his face smashed against the cold damp stone floor.

"Pathetic." The Artorian raised his arm high into the air, prepared to wield the final blow.

/

Chayan materialized in the underground chamber. It looked much like she had imagined such a place would look. It was dark and damp; the thick air smelled of death. Frightening stories told to her as a child flashed before her mind's eye. Tales of murder, bloody torture, and ruthless monsters taking what didn't belong to them took on an all new realization. Fighting back the urge to vomit, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Upon reopening her eyes, she quickly adjusted to the low light conditions and saw the drama playing out in front of her. Twenty feet away, she saw Captain Janeway tied to a chair. She had been tortured. The lead captor, she recognized as Tomakor, was as ruthless and blood thirsty as he was ugly.

Chayan was horrified to see what happened next. The Captain's neck was exposed as Tomakor prepared to kill her, and he had forced Chakotay to watch. She knew she had to do something - fast. There was no time for transporter beacons.

At a dead-run, she launched herself forward into the deadly scene playing out before her. No one else would lose their life because of her.

/

Tomakor's aim was accurate and deadly. He had killed like this many times and had always succeeded. This would be no different. The knife sliced through the air with a high pitched whine as it plunged deeply into his victim's chest. Just before the knife made contact, he instinctively closed his eyes. To stare into the face of someone while they die was unacceptable, even to the High Order of Nah. As he opened his eyes, he could hear the gasps of his guards around him.

Laying across the lap of his intended victim was his people's "special-one." The knife imbedded deeply into her chest, her blood at first came in spurts but quickly stopped entirely, as her heart ceased to beat.

Instinctively, Tomakor took a step backward. He was horrified by the unexpected turn of events. He had just killed the One of Prophecy. This would not end well for him or his people.

Chayan's body slipped from Kathryn's lap and toppled to the stone floor with a heavy thump. Kathryn opened her eyes and gasped, as the realization of what had just happened, sank in.

The guards began to panic. They ran from one to the other, desperately seeking advice on what to do next. They sought the comfort of their leader, but Tomakor remained silent. Simply staring at his victim as she laid on the floor in front of him.

Chakotay realized this was his only chance to get to Kathryn. He knew the chaos around him, would provide the needed cover. His hands were still tied behind his back. Squatting low, he was able to step through them, one leg at a time, so they were now in front of him. Managing to crawl the few remaining feet that separated him from the woman he loved, he reached out to her and pulled her off the chair and onto the floor next to him.

"We have to get out of here. We might not get another chance." Chakotay whispered into her ear.

"Chayan?" Kathryn replied.

"She's dead." Chakotay hugged Kathryn tightly to himself. "We have to go - now."

"I know she's gone. But look at her. What's happening?" Kathryn reached out her hand and touched the body of Chayan. It appeared smaller then it had just moments ago.

"Her body looks like its disappearing; like its dissolving." Chakotay said, the fascination evident in his tone. "Can you see that light?"

"Lets move away from her body." Kathryn and Chakotay crawled toward the closest wall they could find. They huddled together in the comfort of each other's arms.

Chayan's body was indeed dissolving quickly. A bright yellow light emanated from her chest. It started out as a pin prick, and quickly grew to a blinding torrent of light. Chakotay and Kathryn closed their eyes as the light became intensely painful.

The sound of the guards panicking was the only thing that could be heard in the chamber. Screams, horrible screams, of pain and fear tore through the silence. Kathryn tried to open her eyes but was unable to do so. A wind began to spread through the chamber. It was like a tornado appeared out of no where. The dirt, debris, and small pieces of stone swirled around the room with deadly force.

Chakotay covered Kathryn's body with his own, much like he had on New Earth during the plasma storm. He could feel the debris grabbing at, and tear his clothing. A thunderous crash and subsequent earth shaking vibration rocked the chamber; it was being torn apart from the inside-out. Larger stones began to fall from the chamber ceiling. Chunks of rock and wooden beams fell around them. Unsure of what to do, Chakotay remained still, using his body as a shield for Kathryn.

As quickly as it all began - it also ended. The vibrations slowed to a stop, the wind settled down and the light faded. Tentatively at first, the command team opened their eyes and slowly brought themselves to a standing position. They were shocked to see there was nothing left of the chamber. The stone floor and four walls, were the only familiar objects left inside. The ceiling had been torn away; all the way to the surface. Debris littered the stone floor, but any evidence that this chamber had once contained Artorians had been scoured away by the intense wind.

"Chakotay?" Kathryn's voice was tentative - unsure.

"We need to go, now." He pointed to the stairway to the surface. "There may be more coming, this could be our only chance to escape."

Kathryn reached for Chakotay's hand and the two made their way up the primitive stone stairway to the surface of the planet where they hoped Voyager would be waiting - ready to rescue them.

As they stepped out into the clean air of the planet's surface, Voyager immediately responded and beamed them aboard.

NOTE: please REVIEW! thank you


	10. Chapter 10

AN: this is a chapter re-write! I kept it mainly the same but added a page or two at the end. I needed it to be that way so my last chapter will make sense...HA!

Kathryn sat quietly in the briefing room as she waited for the senior staff to arrive. One by one they entered the room, looked around, spotted their captain sitting silently at the back of the room, and quickly found a place to sit - no one spoke a word.

It had been less then twenty-four hours since the crew of Voyager rescued the captain and commander from the surface of the Artorian home-world. After the rescue, there was still much work to be done. Everyone aboard Voyager was concerned about, Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay, and sought out ways to pass the time and remain productive. These crew members-turned-heroes kept themselves busy completing necessary repairs, gathering and analyzing data, and most importantly, successfully leaving Artorian space behind them. As for the command team, they spent their time in sickbay, being attended to by the Doctor. Their physical wounds were quickly, and expertly healed, but there would be scars that could never be removed - not even by the most skilled of Doctors.

Once everyone had arrived in the briefing room, Kathryn stood up to address those seated before her. She walked slowly to the front of the room with her hands clasped behind her back. Silently, she looked at each in attendance - her own face locked in an unreadable expression. Once she reached the front of the room, she turned and looked directly into Chakotay's eyes. A private message was passed between them.

Kathryn took a deep breath and let it out slowly, readying herself. The past few days had been agonizing, brutally violent, and terrifying. The memories of the past few days would not be forgotten anytime soon. The events of the recent ordeal, played out vividly in her mind. The previous night she had been unable to sleep. Each and every time she closed her eyes, she relived the torture - the terror and pain. The Doctor recommended a sleep-aid, but she had refused to take it. She felt an intense need to remain in full control - chemically induced sleep would not allow her to remain as such. Thus, she currently found herself suffering from fatigue, having not slept a full hour during the night.

"I would like to, first and foremost, thank each and every one of you for your courage and undying dedication to keep Voyager safe." Kathryn looked from one face to the next, hoping that she was conveying her feelings accurately - words could never do justice to what she now felt inside her heart. She watched as their own expressions slowly softened. They too, had been under considerable strain over the fast few days. No doubtably, feeling a sense of fatigue and stress of their own, she could empathize with them. Everyone aboard Voyager had suffered at the hands of the Artorian hostiles.

"I," Kathryn paused momentarily before continuing, "I know that each of you have been working nonstop and are most likely tired and in need of some time off. Before that happens though, I would like to put this entire situation behind us." She again paused and looked at Chakotay. He nodded slightly, encouraging her to continue. "But first I want to get to the bottom of what happened here. You all have been gathering information regarding the Artorians, their culture, and Chayan. I called this meeting today to get some answers so we can continue with our ultimate goal of returning home."

Kathryn gestured to Tuvok to begin the discussion. He stood and walked to the front of the room, where he stood along side his captain. He touched the monitor on the wall next to him and an image appeared. It was of the Artorian planet. The beautiful blue and green sphere rotated slowly on its axis. Kathryn couldn't help but think how such a thing of beauty, with its striking colors and swirling clouds, could hide the atrocities that took place on its surface.

"This is an image of the Artorian home-world, minutes before we rescued you and the commander." Tuvok turned and pointed to a small, yet surprisingly bright yellow light emanating from the planet, just above its equator. Everyone in the room was quiet while they watched it quickly grow. They watched as it spread over the entire surface of the M-class planet. Two minutes after the light first appeared, it had completely engulfed the planet - its surface was no longer visible. The image then became momentarily obscured by static. "The entire transformation took less then three minutes from start to finish."

"Seemed a lot longer then that when we were down there." Chakotay added.

"As you can see, our sensors were unable to filter the high levels of energy coming from the planet, and we lost the image for approximately five seconds." Tuvok explained. The image reappeared onscreen. "Once we were able to again see the planet, scans showed that the population of the Arotrian home world was reduced by nearly ninety percent. The levels of pollution in the atmosphere were also reduced by eight-six percent. Industry and communication planet-side was nearly decimated. We were able to detect short-wave radio transmissions among the survivors, but the level of technology available to them had been set back hundreds of years."

"Have you determined what exactly happened? Can you draw any conclusions at all?" Kathryn asked.

"I have been reading through all the information we were able to gather about the Artorians and their religious beliefs," Neelix said. "Of course, Seven has been helping me sort through the vast quantities of conflicting reports ranging from..."

"What Neelix is trying to say, is that we were able to determine that there may have been some truth to the stories found within their religious documents." Seven interrupted. They had spent the past few hours working closely together and her patience had been worn desperately thin. "Their 'Holy-Documents' indicated that upon the sacrifice of the 'special-one', a cleansing spirit is released upon the people. All evil is eradicated and the remains of Artorian civilization begins to rebuild and reestablish themselves from that point."

While Seven's tone of voice indicated she put little faith in folklore and myth, the same couldn't be said for everyone in attendance.

"Fascinating." Neelix chimed in; his eyes were wide with wonderment.

"So what you're saying is that every thousand years or so, there is someone among their people, whose death resets their history?" Kathryn asked, doubt filling her voice.

"We are unable to explain what happened through scientific analysis. At least not at this time. But it does appear that the Artorian prophesies were fulfilled." The Vulcan added. "Would you like us to continue to analyze the data?"

Kathryn didn't answer immediately. Lost in thought, she simply stood still, her unfocused eyes watched an unimaginable horror that replayed inside her own mind. Chakotay stood and came to stand next to her. He gently put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight, reassuring squeeze. Kathryn pushed the images of the past few days away and looked to her best friend. Her eyes were sad, and momentarily pleaded for help. Not wanting to convey a hint of vulnerability in front of her adoring crew, she quickly closed them tight, attempting to steel herself against her haunting memories.

"That won't be necessary, Tuvok." Kathryn turned back around and looked at the image of the 'cleansed' planet on the monitor. After what seemed like an eternity, she again turned to face her crew. "You have all performed above and beyond what could be expected from a crew. I am..." Kathryn's voice broke. Quickly clearing her throat, she continued, "I am honored to be your captain."

She looked around the room. Kathryn couldn't imagine serving as captain aboard any other ship - leading any other crew. This crew was her family. She loved them, and she could feel their love for her.

Sensing that the Captain was struggling with her emotions, Neelix stood up and changed the subject.

"I propose we have a theme party."

"A party?" Kathryn asked.

"Yes, Seven said we will soon be entering a region of space with no known alien races. It would be a perfect time to take a much needed pause, and celebrate life - here, together, as a family." Neelix's body vibrated with excitement; the long hairs that made up his sideburns shook visibly.

All eyes turned to the Captain.

"Sounds like a fantastic idea." Kathryn smiled. "How long before we enter this uninhabited region of space?"

"Six days at our current speed." Seven answered.

"Perfect. That will give Neelix a chance to plan the party, and give Tom time to create an appropriate holoprogram for the occasion." Satisfied with her decision, she turned, patted Chakotay on the chest and headed for the door. Looking back over her shoulder, she added, "Dismissed."

/

Kathryn stood in front of her bathroom mirror struggling in vain to wrangle an errant lock of hair into its proper place. No matter what she did to it, it just wouldn't stay where she wanted it to go. Vacillating between simply cutting it off, and shooting it with a phase pistol, Kathryn decided to just let it do whatever it wanted to do. She didn't have the energy to fight - no matter how insubordinate her hair had become.

Leaning heavily on her outstretched arms, Kathryn slowly lifted her head and examined her appearance in the mirror. At first glance she was pleased with what she saw. For the most part, her hair was in place, her makeup was well applied, and the green dress she selected from the choices Neelix had suggested, fit pretty well.

She smiled at her reflection, only to have her reality crash and burn around her. Her smile revealed the true Kathryn Janeway. Underneath all the adornments, makeup, and fake smiles, she was left with sadness and torment. True, she and her crew had survived a couple crippling days of torture, but the one she had been trying to protect had ultimately paid with her life. Chayan, the innocent young woman who had asked for her help, had trusted in a ship full of complete strangers, had died. Kathryn had failed to keep her safe, and she knew she would always live with that guilt - it was a price she had to pay.

Taking a closer look at her reflection revealed a woman who had been missing sleep. Her eyes were underlined by dark circles and she quickly applied another layer of makeup in an attempt to hide her true self. The wrinkles around her eyes and corners of her mouth had apparently multiplied over night. When had she grown so old? When had she stopped noticing herself when she passed by a mirror? When had she stopped caring about herself?

Kathryn's next smile was a sad one. She now truly saw the woman in the mirror she had become, and she didn't like it at all. Shaking her head, she chastised herself - there wasn't time for this...she had somewhere she needed to be.

Backing up from the mirror a few steps so she could see her full body in the reflection, she adjusted the pretty green dress. Neelix had told her it needed to be short - no longer then knee-length. He had also told her it needed to be form fitting and fun - whatever that meant.

Satisfied that the dress met all requirements, she took one last quick glance at her reflection. Hoping that Chakotay would like what he saw, Kathryn again smiled, but this time the thought of him brought an air of happiness to a face full of concern and sadness.

Kathryn walked to the door to leave her quarters, she hesitated for a moment - this dress was definitely NOT Starfleet issue. Pushing her self-consciousness aside, she stepped through her door and into the corridor. She could see various crew members hurrying down the hallway, headed to the holodeck, and dressed in their own non-Starfleet issued attire. She was relieved to notice that the other female crew members were also wearing form-fitting and 'fun' dresses. She hadn't wanted to stick out like a sore thumb, and now she didn't have to worry about that too.

She walked quickly and confidently through the corridors until she reached the door to the holodeck, where she hesitated. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and moved a step closer to enter the room. The doors swooshed open before her, and she took that final step forward onto the holodeck.

Her first thought was that something had gone horribly wrong with the climate control systems. The temperature was quite warm and the humidity was a definitely stifling. Breathing was a bit difficult to say the least. This party was going to take a bit of getting used to, she thought to herself.

"Oh good, you're here!" Neelix's enthusiasm was infectious. "Honestly, I was worried you wouldn't make it." His smile lit up the entire room. "Captain, you have to wear this." He handed her a white mask. When worn, it covered her forehead, bridge of her nose, and the left side of her face. Her eyes could see through the small holes, and it was held in place with a stick that had been attached to it. The mask also had brightly colored feathers the outlined the top of it, adding to its mysterious appearance, and more effectively hiding the identity of its wearer.

"What is this for, Neelix?" The Captain asked.

"Tom says its tradition. He called the celebration, Mardi Gras. Apparently, it was a celebration that took place every year in the southern part of North America. It was a celebration, steeped in tradition. I understand it was quite the spectacle to behold during it's time."

"Well, you have done a great job. This place looks wonderful." Kathryn looked around the holodeck at all the decorations. It was wonderfully put together.

The holodeck had been transformed into the early twentieth century French corridor of New Orleans. The architecture was breath-taking. The streets were lined by buildings of century's past. The balconies that looked over the street were covered in vibrantly colored flowers. There was also a band playing in the background, which provided the motivation many needed to dance through the streets unabashed. Kathryn wasn't sure if it was the heat and humidity, or the rhythmic movements of the crowd, but she started to sweat.

Everyone in attendance was dressed in the traditional style of the day, except for Seven of Nine and Tuvok. They clung to their Starfleet accepted attire, attempting to remain comfortable in their own skin. By the looks of it, however, they were failing miserably. At least they have each other to cling to, Kathryn thought to herself.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Captain. Take these." Neelix handed her a fist of beaded necklaces.

"What do I do with these?" Kathryn took the proffered items.

"I'm not exactly sure. Tom just said that they were an important part of the night." Neelix then became distracted as more crew members entered the holodeck. He quickly ran off to hand out more masks and necklaces.

Kathryn fiddled with her dress. The humidity was making the already tight fabric, cling to her body in an ever-tightening and uncomfortable way. The dress was winning this battle, and she decided to let it cling, hopefully the mask will help protect her identity.

The mask was going to double as a way to hide, not only her identity, but also hide her truly tired appearance. The lack of sleep was taking its toll on her and the longer she stood in this heat, the more tired she felt. She could only imagine how badly her, generously applied makeup, must be failing her right now. Gripping the mask tightly, she raised it to her face, and was pleased it covered all the problem areas.

She slowly walked through the crowd, finding the anonymity of her mask to be a liberating experience. She could temporarily leave her title of Captain behind and not worry about protocol. Kathryn smiled to herself as she listened in on the conversations between crew members. It was refreshing to listen to her Voyager-family talk about their personal lives, mundane activities of their daily lives, and about their dreams of returning home. No one stopped talking as she approached or changed their conversation to impress her.

She had become so engrossed in her newly discovered eavesdropping bliss, that she nearly jumped out of her own skin when someone walked up behind her and placed their hand on her shoulder.

"Kathryn?" Chakotay whispered into her ear. His close proximity, and the heat from his breath on her neck, gave her goosebumps.

She turned to face him, her mask still in place.

"Hello." Kathryn slowly lowered the mask. "I'm so glad you're here. This mask is great. You can't imagine how much information I've learned about everyone."

When she smiled, Chakotay noticed she actually appeared happy - content. He hadn't seen that look on his captain and friend in some time, and he was pleased.

"I have to say that you look...amazing." He took a small step back and looked her up and down. He couldn't help but notice how her exposed upper chest and neck flushed red under his stare.

"You don't look too bad yourself." Kathryn gave him a sideways glance before putting her mask back into place. "I'm really enjoying this costume. It allows me to walk among the crew without being immediately recognized. It puts everyone at ease."

"Especially you." Chakotay always knew the underlying message in Kathryn's words.

Kathryn stepped closer to her first officer. She had a nagging desire to grab hold of his hand and walk amongst her crew without a care in the world. She came to stand right next to him, his body heat radiated through his clothing as she tentatively reached for his hand. Her fingertips made contact with the skin of his hand, the energy between them made them both flinch. Slowly, she looked up into Chakotay's eyes and took hold of his ring and pinky finger. Her grip tightened and she could feel him do the same.

"There you are, Chakotay." Tom walked up to the commander.

Chakotay and Kathryn quickly released each other and stood facing Tom Paris.

"Who do we have here?" Tom started to say as he looked at the Captain. He bumped Chakotay with his elbow and winked at him. "Do you want to introduce me to your lady friend?"

Kathryn lowered her mask and smiled.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Tom. It's just me." Kathryn smirked, enjoying Tom's discomfort.

"Sorry, Captain. I didn't recognize you at first. The dress and...your..." He began to fidget with his own costume which apparently no longer fit properly.

"You and Neelix have done a marvelous job putting this party together in such a short period of time." Kathryn decided to let him off the hook.

"Thank you. It was nothing, really. But I'm glad you are enjoying it." Tom looked around, desperate to escape. "Oh, there's B'Elanna. I should see if she needs anything. Please excuse me?" He didn't wait for an answer but simply turned and walked hurriedly away.

Chakotay and Kathryn shared a light hearted laugh after he had gone. It wasn't every day that Tom was speechless.

"Do you think he saw us?" Kathryn asked Chakotay.

"I doubt it. I think he was more embarrassed about almost flirting with his captain." Chakotay started to laugh again. "That's my job."

"We really do need to discuss...us." Kathryn grew serious. "Every time we bring up the subject, we get attacked." She jokingly looked around the room, searching for imaginary intruders.

"I'll make this simple for you. I can't imagine my life without you. When you were taken from me, I would have sacrificed anything and everything to get you back - safe. You mean more to me then my own life. I don't want to live another day without you next to me - all day and all night." Chakotay reached out and turned Kathryn so she was facing him directly. With both hands on her shoulders, and looking into her eyes, he leaned in conspiratorially close and whispered, "I love you, Kathryn. More then I have ever loved anyone in my life. I can't imagine loving anyone more."

Kathryn felt limp, she nearly dropped the mask she was holding at her side. Her eyes searched his. She was quickly becoming consumed by her rising emotions and now felt trapped in the crowd because she wanted to cry-out, to react in some way - but couldn't.

"I love you too." She hesitated for a moment then continued. "I want to take things slowly. Can you be patient with me?"

"Kathryn, I'm concerned about you." Chakotay hesitated a moment before he continued, "You have obviously not been sleeping well. You look very tired, and I haven't seen you eat anything that couldn't be dipped in your coffee. I want to help you? Let me help you."

Kathryn placed her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating under her palm - it was strong, steady and reassuring to feel.

"I'm afraid I'm not very adept at hiding my feelings." She leaned her head on his chest.

"I think that might be part of your problem...you're actually too good at suppressing them."

"You experienced nearly the same things that I did, why are you able to deal with it so much better then I can?" She straightened up and looked up at him. She realized it wasn't a contest, but couldn't help but find it unfair that he seemed unaffected by the ordeal, while she suffered.

"You think I'm not hurting? I can't close my eyes without seeing you strapped to that chair - bleeding and broken." He looked away. "I almost lost you. I can't get that out of my mind." He took a couple deep breaths, attempting to push away the demons that were still haunting him.

"Oh, Chakotay. I didn't realize you were suffering too. You were so strong. You saved me, you never gave up. You..."

"I almost gave them what they wanted." Chakotay's self-loathing tone was not lost on Kathryn.

"What?"

"I almost gave them, Chayan. When I thought they were going to kill you...I would have done anything to...to..."

"No. No, you wouldn't have. You never gave up. Under the circumstances, you acted and reacted the way a Starfleet officer should. I couldn't have hoped for anything more." Kathryn looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their private conversation. "How are you dealing with the long nights? Are you able to get some sleep of your own?"

"I meditate every night before I go to bed. My spirit guide has been extremely helpful in clearing my mind. It can help you too...if you let it - let me teach you." He reached for her again as he saw her expression darken.

"I can't do it alone."

"I will be there for you, every step of the way." The two friends embraced.

The command team hadn't realized that a few members of the crew had witnessed the exchange. The Voyager gossip-mill would be working overtime this evening and for some time to come.

/

A couple of hours passed and Kathryn was tired. She was tired of standing in heels, tired of adjusting and readjusting her dress, and tired of being tired. It was time to go back to her quarters and get some sleep. She looked around, but couldn't see Chakotay anywhere.

Feeling guilty about leaving the party early, she tried to sneak out of the holodeck unnoticed. Just as the doors swooshed open and she was about to leave, she was discovered.

"Where do you think you're going?" Chakotay's voice was playful - teasing.

"You caught me." Kathryn smiled wearily. "I'm just so tired. I need to get some sleep."

Chakotay studied her face for a moment. "I'll walk you back to your quarters. You really look exhausted." He then took her arm and hooked it through his own, before escorting her into the corridor.

"You really don't have to walk with me. I'll be fine, really." Kathryn did her best to sound strong and in control, yet she didn't try and remove her arm from his comforting hold.

"Let me help you." Chakotay said softly as they continued down the corridors to the Captain's quarters.

The two friends walked arm-in-arm, a comfortable silence settled in between them, until they reached their destination. They stopped in front of her quarters, at first, neither one made a move to disengage.

"Well, I guess this is where I leave you." She hesitantly removed her arm from Chakotay's grasp. "Thank you very much for walking me home."

Chakotay closed, the already small gap that separated them, before saying, "I can stay if you'd like. You know...to help you meditate." His gaze intensified as it came to rest solidly on her own.

"I...um...no. Thank you, Chakotay but I don't think I'll have any trouble falling asleep tonight." She tore her gaze away from him. "Rain-check?" Her palm was flat against his chest; she welcomed his closeness yet she wanted to remained in full control.

"Absolutely." Chakotay leaned in and gave his best friend an embrace. A moment passed before they relinquished their holds, and he walked away - back in the direction of the party.

Kathryn took a deep breath and entered her quarters. After giving the command for fifty percent illumination, she began getting herself ready for bed.

She followed all of her usual patterns. She changed out of her clothes, put on some night-clothes, washed her face, and replicated herself a cup of coffee. Caffeine always helped her feel comfortable and relaxed. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how coffee helped her with just about everything in her life. A smiled grew across her face as she deeply inhaled the aroma. Then she took that first sip of the steaming hot black liquid.

"Ah!" Kathryn shook her head at her continued obsession with her one true vice. "How can people say, you're not good for me?" She then took another drink, much larger this time.

Setting her mug down on the night stand, she folded back the top sheet of the bed, and climbed in - she quickly began to fade into the bliss of restful sleep.

End Note: please read and review...thankyou!


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Thanks to TheJesser! And thankyou for all your kind reviews! This is the final chapter/epilogue of this story. Please read and review and let me know what you think of the story.

CLUMP

Kathryn stirred slightly, not fully awake.

CLUMP...CLUMP

Kathryn pushed herself up onto her elbows. She remained silent as she listened for the sound that had woken her up from her pleasant dream. For just a moment, her bedroom appeared to shimmer and disappear around her - replaced by the underground chamber where she had been held captive. She clamped her eyes closed in panic, reopened them, and let out a deep sigh of relief. She was still in her bedroom. She shook her head and chided herself for her jumpiness. She was on Voyager - she was safe. A minute passed and she heard nothing else. Deciding it had been nothing but her imagination, she relaxed and laid down, trying to recall the dream she wished to revisit.

Just as she managed to conger up her dream, the one where she and Chakotay were back on New Earth together, she felt a rough calloused hand grip each of her ankles. The pressure was surprisingly painful, and Kathryn was immediately and fully awake.

She desperately tried to kick her legs, but couldn't break the hold of the unseen enemy. The intruder tried to pull her toward the foot of the bed. She fought hard to save her life, to regain control of her limbs, but panic threatened to take over her mind. Searching for some kind of leverage, she grabbed at her bedding. No matter how hard she fought, she could still feel her body slowly moving down the bed, her night clothes inched their way up her body and bunched up around her head and shoulders. The fabric of the sheets felt rough on her skin, and threatened to burn her exposed flesh. She was losing the battle.

Kathryn managed to flip onto her stomach, but her legs remained crossed as her enemy refused to loosen his tight hold. Pushing down hard onto the mattress, she gripped it in her fists, and held on with all her might. No matter how tight she held on, her enemy continued to pull harder. Her biceps burned as she tried to get free. Kathryn knew her tired, sleep-deprived body, was no match for this intruder. Her body began to shake under the strain, beads of sweat dripped from her head onto her bedding below.

Her strength was failing. She could feel it. Steeling her resolve, she tried to break free one last time.

She failed.

Momentarily her grip loosened, just enough that the mattress began to slip through her fingers. She could feel the fabric tearing under her nails. Needing to scream, but desperately not wanting to show the intruder weakness, she buried her face into her bed and bit into the top sheet.

It was too no avail.

Moments later, she felt herself being ripped from her bed. Her teeth tore a hole in the top sheet and her nails were torn from her fingers. She could feel the blood seeping from the quick, where her nails had once been.

"Gumphf." Kathryn breathed as she hit the floor at the foot of her bed - again it appeared to be stone rather then the Starfleet issued carpeting. This can't be happening. What's happening to me?

While she could still feel her enemies hands on her legs, she couldn't see who was attacking her. The room seemed darker then usual and only the outline of the intruder was visible. Confusion and terror filled her mind, pushing away her usual clarity and control.

Kathryn reached for her communicator, usually pinned to her chest, she remembered it was still attached to the dress she had worn that evening.

"Computer, illumination one hundred percent!" There was no response. "Computer -"

"Nothing can save you now." Her unseen enemy snarled from the cover of darkness.

"Who are you?" Kathryn was more terrified then curious.

"You're going to pay for what you've done." He lifted her in the air.

Again, she struggled to free herself from his grasp - fatigue set in quickly. She felt as if she were floating above the floor of her quarters - the sensation was disorienting and terrifying.

"What do you want?"

An answer was not given.

"Where are you taking me?"

Again, there was no answer from her enemy.

Kathryn realized she needed to do something; and do it fast. She simultaneously kicked her legs and flipped over onto her stomach. Her enemy's grip loosened and she felt the rush of falling.

THUD

She hit the floor - hard. Momentarily disoriented, her breath had been knocked out of her, but she managed to bring herself to a standing position. Bringing her hands up in front of her, she squared her stance, prepared to do battle.

"Computer, illumination one hundred percent." Kathryn hollered.

The computer immediately responded and the lights turned on. Pain shot through Kathryn's eyes as she was unprepared for the sudden light change. She forced her eyes to reopen and she breathlessly searched for her enemy.

"Computer, are there any unauthorized individuals aboard Voyager?"

"Negative," the computer responded.

Her breathing began to return to normal, as she realized it had only been a nightmare.

She looked around and saw her sheets and bedspread was piled at the foot of her bed and her mattress was askew, resting partially on the floor next to its frame.

Thankful that her night terror had been nothing but just that, she got up and straightened her bed.

After putting everything back to where it needed to be, she decided to attempt sleep once again.

"Computer, lights off." The room was immediately dark. Panic once again filled her mind. Her breathing rapidly increased, and she could once again feel her heart pounding in her chest - the beating sound filled her ears. "Computer, illumination fifty percent."

The light helped to calm her rising panic. Once her breathing returned to normal, she got up and went to the replicator. She recycled the coffee she had made earlier and requested a new, fresh mug of the dark satisfying liquid.

Cup in hand, she brought it to her lips and took a small sip. Grimacing, she put the cup down. The coffee tasted bitter and nearly made her sick.

"I can't keep living like this," Kathryn said aloud to herself.

She walked over to the dress that laid crumpled on the floor and removed her communicator.

"Kathryn to Chakotay."

A minute passed before he responded.

"Chakotay here." His voice sounded groggy. "Kathryn, are you alright? Its 0200 hours."

She was relieved to hear the concern in his voice.

"Umm...can you...um...meet me in my quarters?"

"Give me two minutes."

Kathryn cut transmission and looked around her empty quarters. It was comfortably furnished, tastefully decorated, yet sadly, it still seemed empty. Pushing second thoughts away, she sat back down on her bed and waited for her best friend to arrive.

BREEP

The door chime sounded. He had arrived - early.

"Come." Kathryn called.

The doors swooshed open, and Chakotay entered her quarters. When he entered, he saw Kathryn sitting on her sofa - she hugged her knees to her chest, tears filled her eyes.

"What happened?" Chakotay asked. He rushed over to her and knelt down at the side of her bed. "Are you still having terrible nightmares?"

Kathryn simply nodded.

He stood, sat next to her on the sofa, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Maybe some other time." Her body leaned into his embrace - the need to feel protected was overpowering. "I'm so tired. I can't keep living like this."

"I'm here. I won't leave you." He hugged her tighter.

Chakotay looked down at Kathryn and studied her face. She looked worried - scared. The dark circles under her eyes had grown darker over the past week. She was obviously not eating well - her normally slight frame had grown unhealthily smaller. He had never before seen her look this vulnerable, and it concerned him greatly.

After a few minutes, Kathryn's eye lids grew heavy and slowly closed as she drifted off to sleep. Chakotay sat up the rest of the night, holding his captain, his best friend - the one he loved.

/

The following morning, Kathryn woke up in the arms of the one person she truly trusted. She looked up at him - he was still asleep. Not wanting to wake him, but desperately needing a cup of coffee, she tried to remove herself from his lap.

"How are you feeling?" Chakotay asked, his eyes still closed.

"Better. Thank you." Kathryn got up and walked over the replicator and made a steaming hot mug of fresh coffee. She came back over to the bed and sat next to Chakotay. "I really appreciate you coming over and staying with me. I'm not sure what I would have done without you."

"It was nothing."

"It was definitely NOT, nothing." She took another sip of coffee.

"I think you should talk to the Doctor about your nightmares. I'm concerned about you."

"Last night was..." She shook her head. "They're getting worse. But...I don't feel comfortable talking about them. I'm the captain, Chakotay. I'm the one who's supposed to be strong. I'm the one other people are supposed to go to when they need comfort."

"If you don't want to talk to someone you know, you could at least use the holodeck and talk to a holographic counselor. Someone who is completely impartial."

"All right."

"However, I want to set the record straight on something." Chakotay said.

"And what's that, exactly?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I enjoyed coming to your rescue. I want to be here to help you. I want you, to want me, to help you."

Kathryn reached over and placed her hand gently on Chakotay's. She gave it a slight squeeze and said, "I want you to be here with me. I don't want to face another nightmare alone."

"Do you want me to stay tonight?"

"Absolutely."

/

Tuvok stood at his usual station and tried to keep himself busy. It was not like the command team to be late to their duty shift. He looked at the chronometer on his console and it read 0900 hours. They were officially an hour late and neither had contacted him with an ETA or explanation.

"Tuvok?" Tom called to the chief of security.

"Yes, Mr. Paris?"

"What exactly is the plan for today? Are you in charge today or what?" Tom glanced over at Harry before he continued. "Any word from the Captain or Commander this morning?" Tom smirked. He had been one of the crew members to observe the unusual behavior between the command team at the party the previous evening.

"No, I have not. I suggest you concern yourself with piloting the ship, Mr. Paris." While Tuvok gave the mild rebuke, he couldn't help but wonder what was keeping the captain.

He tapped a series of commands into the computer - requesting the location of the Captain and Commander.

The computer responded silently on his screen: Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay are located in the captain's quarters.

Tuvok, reached for his communicator. He was about to push it and contact the captain, but realization washed over him. This was going to be a secret he would need to keep. He made a mental note to himself, to discuss with the Captain, the proper procedures when she was going to be late for a duty shift. The Chief of Security needed to be made aware of all changes to the Captain's schedule and location aboard ship.

However, he realized that now was not the time or place.

Tom mouthed the words, I told you they were together, to Harry - who promptly turned red in the face and looked down at his computer console.

"Is there something you wanted to add, Mr. Paris?" Tuvok asked.

"No, sir."

"Then, I suggest you set course for the Alpha Quadrant."

"Course laid in, sir." Tom knew better then to continue with his gossiping.

"Engage."

End Note: Please review! thank you! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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